


Take me home and show me the sun

by puppybusby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison suffers from depression, Alternate Universe - Human, Background Relationships, Camping, Cliche af, Coming of Age, Derek is p much the same age as the group, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Suicide Attempt, Slow Burn, Summer, Summer Romance, Underage Drinking, i promise this is a really happy fic tho, insecure Lydia, nobody is straight, references to Victoria's suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-07-28 23:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 112,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7661413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppybusby/pseuds/puppybusby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months ago, Lydia probably would have laughed at the idea of eating burgers and fries in the backyard of someone's house with eleven other people all of whom were wearing flower crowns of some design, it’s definitely something she never would have thought would happen. But in that moment, it felt entirely natural and there wasn’t a thing she would change about it. </p><p>(Or: Lydia moves to Beacon Hills, finds the friends she never thought she'd have and falls in love)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was supposed to be for the TWfemslash big bang, but that got cancelled because of lack of people... So hi it's been six months and i finally finished this?  
> I just wanted to write something really happy and friendship centric? idk i got attatched to this and i have a lot of feelings (ask Kayla and Tanya they've been my rocks while writing this)
> 
> I'll update the tags with any potential triggers every chapter and give more specific detail in the notes.  
> (also line breaks show a time skip of a couple of days or more)  
> Title taken from "Hometown" By Twenty One Pilots

 

  
Lydia stared at the house in front of her as her mother switched the engine off, throwing the car into a deep, uncomfortable silence.

“Never thought we'd be back here, huh?” Her mother asked beside her.

That… Was an understatement. After almost seven years here she was, back at her childhood home in Beacon Hills, California. A town that seemed so small that nobody else seemed to know it even existed.

“Something like that.” Lydia murmured. She glanced up at the rear view mirror and saw the moving truck pull up behind them.

It was really happening. They were back.

At least she had the summer to get used to it before she started her senior year at the only high school in town.

“Well then,” her mother clapped her hands together. “We should get started, the sooner we finish the sooner you can go and make some friends.”

Lydia winced and ignored her mother in favour of getting out of the car. She'd been dodging conversations like this since she found out they were coming back. Lydia hadn't made much of an effort to keep in touch with her friends from her childhood, why would she? She had moved to L.A, she was going to make new friends.

She hadn't even looked any of them up on Facebook and now she felt awful for it.

And her mom had no idea that she had done this and therefore had made them leave at the break of dawn so that they could get to Beacon Hills and move all their stuff in as soon as possible so that Lydia could start her summer of “reconnecting” with her best friend.

She didn't even know if Allison still lived here. The last she had heard, her mother had died.

It was something she could worry about later. Right now she had to focus on moving in.

 

Lydia sighed at the purple walls of her room with disgust, first item on the list? Redecorating.

She's feeling a nice, bright pink.

Once the movers had brought her bed and dressing table up, Lydia had been left to her own devices and she had wasted no time in taking in the room and all the small details that proved that she had once been an occupant of the room, from the marks in the doorframe with her and Allison's name scribbled beside them to show their progress in height to the faint crack in the wall from where Allison had put her foot through it when demonstrating the newest trick from her gymnastics class.  
  
  


By lunchtime Lydia was completely unpacked, minus her books. She didn't have a bookcase for them yet so rather than getting them all out and leaving them to gather dust, Lydia chose to leave them in their boxes until she could head over to ikea. 

She figured it was time for a break, she was beginning to get hungry after being busy all day, the last time she ate was when they stopped off at a Starbucks just off the highway and that felt like an eternity ago.

Lydia made her way downstairs, only to find her mother talking with one of the movers, her body language definitely on the flirty side and while Lydia felt a spark of pride for her mother for putting herself out there, she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. Pride or not, nobody wants to see their mother getting her flirt on.

“I'm gonna pick up lunch.” Lydia announced, grabbing the keys from the counter and leaving the house before her mother could argue.

 

Lydia had been driving for almost five minutes when she realised her mistake. This wasn't L.A anymore. This was the very small town of Beacon Hills and she was very much alone and the likelihood of her running into somebody she once knew was pretty high.

A part of her rationalised that it was likely that nobody would recognise her. She'd left when she was ten, she was seventeen now.

As nice as that side of her thoughts was, the _other_ side of her made it explicitly clear that hello, it wasn't like she'd gotten a whole new face. She was going to be recognised by somebody.

But if there was one thing that Lydia did well, it was fake confidence. So when she walked into Andy’s diner, she did so with her head held high.

It was a little anticlimactic, if she were honest. But she couldn't ignore the wave of nostalgia that hit her. The place looked exactly the same, even the jukebox was still there in the corner. The only thing that seemed different was the prices.

The waitress had a look of perpetual boredom as she ordered and Lydia had nothing much to do but sit at one of the empty seats at the counter as she waited for her order. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages, feeling a slight ache in her chest at the sheer lack of them.

All she has was an email from her dad, a lame apology and a promise of spending Christmas with him in his new place in New York with his girlfriend Rhonda. She marked it as read and opted to scroll through Instagram when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

Lydia turned slowly in her seat and looked up at the person in front of her, taking in their short dark hair, tan skin, kind, inquisitive eyes and bright smile and Lydia could feel the memories floating to the surface, a name forming on the tip of her tongue but they beat her to the punch.

“Lydia?” They asked. “Lydia Martin? Is that you?”

“Danny?” Lydia replied, sliding off of the stool and immediately regretting it. Somehow it made her even shorter.

“The one and only.” Danny replied. “Oh God, my mom mentioned that someone was moving into your old house. I had no idea it was going to be you!” They opened their arms for a hug and faltered, “wait, can I ask your preferred pronouns?”

Lydia blinked. Caught off guard. “Uh, she/her.”

Danny nodded and pointed to themselves. “He/Him.” He moved back in for the hug and Lydia gladly returned it. “I wanted to make sure, didn't wanna accidentally misgender you.”

“It's fine.” Lydia smiled as she pulled away. “It's actually really great that you asked.”

Danny shrugged and moved to lean against the counter. “Some of my friends change their pronouns on different days. It's actually starting to catch on outside of our group too.”

“I'm really glad to hear that.” Lydia replied. She glanced down at her heels. “I was worried that…”

“Small town equals homophobia, racism, misogyny and general awfulness?” Danny cut her off, it took one look at her face for him to laugh warmly. “Don't worry. It's a good town. it's not perfect, but what place is, right?”

Lydia hummed. She could sure as shit agree with that. Not even living in LA could save her from the ignorance that is biphobia.

“How are you?” Lydia asked.

“I'm fine.” Danny smiled. “Weird seeing you again.” He looked her up and down. “You've changed.”

“So have you.” Lydia replied. “You got…”

“Hot, I know.” Danny grinned. He placed a hand on Lydia's shoulder. “But also very, very gay.” He gestured to a table with his head and Lydia followed it to where an admittedly attractive person sat. “That's Ethan, he’s my boyfriend.” 

“Congratulations Danny.” Lydia nodded her approval. 

“Thank you.” Danny replied, looking extremely pleased with himself. “So, how about you? Anyone in your life?”

“Nope.” Lydia shook her head. “Long distance seemed pretty pointless so I made sure I was single before I moved.”

She opted to leave out the part where it had been her boyfriend who had dumped her, publicly and humiliatingly and had been one of many reasons why she was glad to have moved. Even if it was to Beacon Hills.

Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Order for Lydia!” The waitress called, hitting the bell beside the register with one hand and setting her bag of food and drinks on the side with the other.

“That's me.” Lydia said, handing over her stub and turning back to Danny. “I better get this back home before my mom starves.”

Danny laughed. “Sure, but don't be a stranger okay? You got a Facebook?”

“Nope.” Lydia answered quickly.

“Okay…” He glanced around and grabbed a napkin from the counter, he turned to the waitress. “May I borrow your pen?”

She rolled her eyes but handed over the pen and Lydia watched as Danny scribbled a number down and dropped it into her bag.

“There. Text me, we all have to hang out, catch up.”

Lydia nodded lamely. “Sounds fun.” She said, hoping her voice didn't come out too forced.

Danny winked at her and drifted back over to his table where his boyfriend was sat. Lydia left the diner quickly and drove straight home.

She shoved the napkin into the first drawer of her desk and let the task of moving in become the focus of her mind once more.

 

* * *

 

  
Lydia managed to avoid the topic for two days. There were boxes that needed to be unpacked and an entire season of Gilmore Girls to watch.

Her mother was too busy clearing out the boxes in the attic. She wasn't entirely surprised to find out that there had been a bunch of stuff left behind.

On the third day, her mother noticed that she hadn't left the house since the diner incident and decided that enough was enough.

“What are these?” Lydia asked as she walked into the living room and saw boxes stacked by the front door.

“One is going to goodwill, it’s a box of my clothes from before I had you.” Natalie replied, taking a sip of her coffee. “The other belongs to your father so I'm taking it to the post office.”

“And the other?” Lydia sighed at the empty coffee pot and moved to the refrigerator to grab the orange juice.

“Kids toys.”

“So… Dump?”

“I'm going to drop you off at the hospital on the way to the post office, the kids there are always looking for donations. It'll be nice.”

Lydia eyed her mother suspiciously. “What's going on?”

Natalie met her gaze. “I'm not doing everything myself, Lydia. And I have plans today. Go get ready, we’ll leave in half an hour.”

“Can we at least get coffee first?”

“We’ll see.”

  


Lydia wasn't a big fan of hospitals, she didn't make a habit of going to them often, a place with so much death isn't a place she would choose to frequent.

And now here she was, wandering through the halls, clutching a dusty box and looking for the children's ward.

She never even got her coffee.

“You look a little lost.” A voice called, pulling her from her thoughts.

Lydia turned, pulling the box closer to her chest and looking at the nurse standing behind a desk. Lydia recognised them immediately, Melissa McCall, one of the kindest adults she had ever met. On closer inspection, Lydia could see Melissa's pronoun preference on her name tag.

“Lydia Martin!” Melissa smiled, moving around the desk to approach her. “Natalie said you'd be dropping by.”

Lydia frowned. “...When did she do this?”

“Yesterday at the grocery store.”

Lydia nodded. Of course she did. She should have known this was planned.

“So you have some toys to donate?” Melissa asked, gesturing to the box.

“Oh, yeah. I think they're from when I was a kid so… They're kinda out of date-”

“Kids will play with anything, Lydia. Don't worry about it.” She patted Lydia's shoulder gently. “Oh, have to ask, pronouns?”

“She/Her is fine.” Lydia replied. “Danny wasn't kidding when he said it was catching on.”

Melissa laughed. “My home is basically a meeting place for that little group.” She gestured for Lydia to follow her and the two began to walk down the hallway together.

“Danny is friends with Scott?” Lydia asked.

“I'm pretty sure that Danny is friends with everyone. Scott too, you remember him.”

Lydia did remember, Scott was nice to everyone, she could remember back when they were kids, when Scott tried to stop Jackson Whittemore and his little gang of bullies from bothering Isaac Lahey, only to end up with a bloody nose. He still tried to be nice to Jackson up until the boy left for England.

“I do, how is Scott?”

“He's fine, he works at the clinic with Deaton, big on helping people with the others.”

“Sounds like Robin Hood and his band of merry men.”

Melissa laughed loudly. “I'll tell them you said that, I know Alli-”

Melissa’s words became white noise as someone came out of a set of double doors and all but barrelled into Lydia, yelling out in surprise, one of their hands clutched at the box while the other tried to make sure Lydia didn't fall too.

Beside her, Melissa sighed. “Speak of the devil. Allison, I was just about to tell Lydia about you.”

Lydia froze, her grip tightening on the box as she stared at the figure in front of her.

Allison?

Allison Argent?

Allison shot upright, hair whipping into their face face.

“She's a little clumsy.” Melissa stage whispered.

Allison cleared her throat, pushing the hair from her face and staring down at Lydia with wide eyes.

It had been seven years since the last time she has seen Allison. She'd gotten taller, unfairly so, if not for her heels, Lydia was pretty sure she'd only come up to Allison's chest. Lydia couldn't stop staring at the sharpness of her jawline, the wide ‘deer in headlights’ expression she was currently sporting as she took in Lydia's appearance and Lydia was just thankful that she had taken the extra time to put more effort into her makeup before she left.  
  
Because holy shit, Allison Argent got _hot._

“Lydia,” Allison swallowed and holy shit even her voice was attractive. “Hey.”

“Hey."

The silence stretched between them and Lydia took the chance to take in Allison's outfit, simple skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly and yet she managed to make it look like the most attractive outfit ever.  

Melissa cleared her throat beside them. “Lydia's brought some stuff to donate to the kids.”

Allison looked from Melissa to Lydia, her shock fading to curiosity. “That so?”

Lydia shrugged. “Yeah well, I figured that it was better than just throwing it all out.”

“That's very considerate of you.” Allison replied, quirking an eyebrow and Lydia couldn't be sure if she was mocking her or not. “Here, I'll carry that.” She added, taking the box from Lydia before she could protest.

“What are you even doing here, Allison? You're not working today.” Melissa said, walking on Allison's left, Lydia wasn't sure if she could leave or not, she decided against it and fell into step with them, trailing just behind Allison.

“Cora’s shift finishes in an hour and she left her key at home, I offered to come steal Derek's.”

“He'll be thrilled.” Melissa murmured, she turned her attention to Lydia. “Allison and Derek volunteer here. Help the kids with schoolwork, keep them entertained.”

“It's nothing.” Allison replied. She strode ahead into a brightly decorated room.

 Lydia could see beanbags and kids playing inside, she watched Allison hand the box off to someone wearing scrubs and start talking to a tall person with impressive stubble. They smiled fondly at each other and hugged.

 "She's pissed at me.” Lydia sighed.

 “I wouldn't say pissed, but Lydia, sweetie, can you blame her?” Melissa asked. “You two were best friends. You were as close as Scott and Stiles. Did you even write to her when you left?”

 Lydia glanced back to where Allison was now crouched down and talking with some children, her smile was wide and Lydia was fairly certain she could see dimples. _Dimples._ She had considered it. When Allison’s mother had died, but she’d talked herself out of it. She’d been gone for almost four years and had told herself that Allison wouldn’t have missed her, would have had sympathy and comfort from people who could actually be around her.  
  
“No. I did miss her though.” 

“That's nice, shame Allison probably doesn't know that.”

Lydia raised her eyebrows at Melissa. “You don't mess around do you?”

“Nope.” Melissa smiled. “It's why your mom asked me to help. Don't tell her I said that.”

“I won't.”

“Your mother figured you were avoiding people. Thought I'd be able to help you out but she,” Melissa gestured towards Allison. “Wasn't supposed to be here today. But Allison tends to be spontaneous.”

“Yeah, that's the Allison I remember.”

“So, the question I'm going to ask you is; are you going to keep avoiding everyone or are you going to spend time with your friends?”

“Do I even have friends though?” Lydia asked.

“Of course you do, you just have to stop hiding from them.” She nodded towards Allison. “Maybe think about apologising.”

Lydia nodded thoughtfully. “How?”

“I hear Allison is fond of coffee, as most teenagers are.”

“What if she says no?”

Melissa gave Lydia a long, vaguely judgemental look, she let out a long breath and her eyes softened. “You should give Allison more credit, but don't worry, leave this to me.” She turned away from Lydia. “Allison!” She called.

The brunette didn't respond, too preoccupied with building a tower with a few children. Melissa called Allison's name a few more times until one of the kids looked over to them in confusion. Melissa gestured to Allison and the kid tugged gently on the sleeve of Allison's shirt and when Allison turned to the boy, he pointed towards Melissa and Lydia.

Allison smiled at him and ruffled his hair before getting up and jogging towards them.

“Sorry, what's up?” She asked.

“Allison, where's your hearing aid?” Melissa asked.

Lydia stared between them both as Allison smiled sheepishly at Melissa, reaching up to rub the back of a neck. It was a gesture she used to do as kids and Lydia almost wanted to smile at it.

“It wasn’t working out for me, so we sent them back.” She glanced at Lydia. “I'm mostly deaf in my right ear.” She added casually.

Melissa rolled her eyes fondly, Lydia couldn't help the smile this time. Melissa definitely seemed to be very motherly towards Allison and no doubt whoever else frequented at her home.

“Anyway, Allison. Lydia needs to get reacquainted with Beacon Hills and I can't think of anywhere better to start than showing her where to get her caffeine fix.” Melissa said. “Maybe you could take her?”

Allison stared at Melissa for a few moments before she nodded slowly. “Sure.”

“And if you happen to see my son, tell him that I'll probably be late for dinner.”

Allison saluted with two fingers. “You got it.” She looked over to Lydia. “Coffee?”

Lydia nodded. “Coffee.”

 

 

“It's not far, but I hope you don't mind walking, I don't have my car.” Allison said once they were outside.

“No, that's fine. I don't mind.”

They walked in silence for several minutes, Allison had her hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans, head tilted back to watch the few clouds in the sky roll past.

“I bet it sucks to be back here, huh? Especially after living it up in L.A for so long.” She said after a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence.

“A little.” Lydia admitted quietly, eyes tracing the cracks in the sidewalk. “I never thought I'd be back, to be honest.”

“That makes two of us, i-” Allison stopped suddenly and frowned to herself. “That sounded bitchy. I'm sorry.”

Lydia looked over at Allison, almost stopping in her steps. “Don't apologise, I deserve that.”

Allison shook her head, but she didn't look at Lydia. “No, you don't.” She sighed. “It's not like you single handedly drove to L.A. And I'm not mad that you left.” Her face scrunched up in an adorable gesture. “Okay I'm a little bit mad, but I'm just… Hurt? Yeah, I'm hurt. You didn't write, I didn't even know where you lived so I couldn't send you anything.”

Somehow Allison's words just made the guilt even worse, she was so calm about it all. Understanding, even. Her voice soft and gentle.

“I am sorry Allison. I have no excuses for it, I was a spoiled brat and you didn't- don't, deserve that. If you want to leave, you can. Don't feel like you have to stay just because Melissa asked you to.”

Allison laughed and tilted her head to meet Lydia's gaze, eyes shining bright under the sun. “I'm here because I want to be, the friend I haven't seen for years is back and I want to catch up with her.”

Friend, not best friend. But still, what could Lydia expect? She was just thankful that Allison still liked her enough to call her a friend.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, it only took a few minutes. She knew where Allison was taking her. It wasn't Starbucks, but it was a hell of a lot cheaper and almost as good.

 

Inside looked like something based off of Central Perk, complete with huge sofa and armchairs on one side. It looked homey, somewhere Lydia could see herself studying in the future.

Allison reached up to rub the back of her neck with one hand as she gestured towards an empty table in the corner of the room. They barely walked a few steps before someone grabbed Allison, pulling her into a headlock.

“Cora!” Allison exclaimed, wriggling free and moving closer to Lydia in the process. “Not cool.”

Cora waved their hand dismissively. “Yeah yeah, did you get the key? Everyone is coming over later and I don't want a repeat of the time we tried to break in.”

Allison pulled a set of keys from her pocket and threw them towards Cora. “Here, go nuts.”

Cora’s gaze shifted to Lydia, raising and eyebrow and cocking their head to the side and studying Lydia carefully. “And this is?”

“That's Lydia. Lydia, this is Cora, she’s Derek’s sister.”

Lydia offered a small wave while Cora continued to stare, Allison made a quick gesture with her hands and shoved Cora lightly.

“So _you're_ Lydia. We were wondering when you'd turn up.”

“Anyway…” Allison cut off before Lydia could question Cora’s words. “Lydia, shall we go sit down? Some of us are having trouble keeping up with all this background noise.”

Lydia nodded quickly, for a moment there she'd almost forgot.

“I'll be over to take your orders in a minute.” Cora said.

“Take your time, dude.” Allison replied, she and Lydia walked over to an empty table towards the back of the shop, Allison took the seat closest to them, putting her back to everyone else. Lydia sat opposite her and brushed her hair behind her ears, pausing to look at the art decorating the wall beside her before focusing back on Allison.  
  
“So come on, what’s it like in LA?”  
  
“Loud, busy, lots of Starbucks.” Lydia wrapped a curl around her finger. “Not quite like the movies, but sometimes it felt just as fake.”  
  
“Do you miss it?”  
  
“A little.” Lydia nodded. “But… Not as much as I thought I would.” Allison raised an eyebrow and Lydia shrugged, she definitely didn’t feel ready to explain what happened to anybody. “I guess it probably seems that way, huh?”  
  
“Being here for three days and only leaving the house once willingly doesn’t exactly scream enthusiasm.” Allison replied, she leant back in her seat and draped an arm over the back. Lydia frowned. “Danny told us he saw you, also moving trucks are obvious. We know you’ve been here for a few days.”  
  
Lydia glanced down at the table for a few moments and took a deep breath before forcing herself to look back at Allison. “It feels weird, to be back, I grew up here and I know most of the people here so it’s not like starting somewhere new. It’s like… Picking up a book you never finished and trying to carry on when you don’t remember the plot...” She trailed off at realising that most of Allison’s attention was on her lips.  
  
“That’s… An oddly specific, yet great metaphor.” Allison said. “But hey, I totally understand what that’s like. Adjusting to things.” She shifted to rest her elbows on the table. “You’ve met Danny and me again though, you’ve been introduced to Cora…” Allison paused to look over her shoulder and waved at the aforementioned woman as she began to walk over to them. “It’ll get easier.”  
  
Lydia hummed, focusing on Cora as she approached them. “So what’re you having?”  
  
“Just my usual.” Allison said. Both her and Cora looked expectantly at Lydia.  
  
“Caramel macchiato, please.”  
  
Cora used her pen to salute them, she made a thoughtful sound and pointed her pen at Allison. “You’re still coming to Danny’s party tonight?”  
  
“Danny’s party isn’t tonight.” Allison frowned, turning more in her seat to face Cora. “Wait, what day is it?”  
  
“The day of the party.” Cora replied drily, turning on her heel and walking away.  
  
“Huh.” Allison nodded slowly, she slid in her seat to face Lydia. “So i just had a great idea.”  
  
“I don’t know…”  
  
“You don’t have to, but a party would be a good way to break the ice.” Allison shrugged. “It’s low commitment. And you know where Danny lives, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Lydia shifted in her seat and smiled over at Allison. “Okay, yeah, I’ll come.”  
  
Allison grinned, flashing her dimples. “Awesome, it’ll be a good night. Danny throws the best parties.”

  


Usually, Lydia was always on time, fashionably late at most. Fashionably late had been the intention tonight, to show up at Danny’s fifteen minutes after the time Allison had given her…  
  
Except then Lydia had begun to question her choice about even going to the party and even debated sending Allison a text telling her that something had come up. But she had powered through, she had settled on an outfit (the fifth one she had tried on) and perfected her hair and makeup.  
  
Lydia had gone simple, a blue skirt and a white blouse, the front was decorated in flowers. She had done her hair in a long braid which she let fall over one shoulder and her makeup was equally as simple, a touch of lipgloss for effect.

 

She’d headed home after coffee with Allison, they hadn’t explicitly agreed to meet at the party but Lydia knew she’d be seeking her out. It felt a little awkward, to be around Allison again, she hadn’t really talked much about herself, but she’d tried to make Lydia feel comfortable, even though Lydia had tried to divert the conversation away from her life. They eventually settled on a neutral ground of TV shows and the wonders of Netflix.  
  
Lydia trusted Allison though, even though they hadn’t been in contact for so long, Lydia knew that once the dust settled around them she would be able to talk to Allison about everything. And maybe Allison would return those feelings.

  
As Lydia approached the house she could see the silhouettes of people inside and the faint thrum of bass from the music, once inside she was impressed with just how many people managed to fit inside the house, somebody had turned the dinner table into a game of beer pong and there were at least half a dozen people trying to play twister in the living room.  
  
“Lydia!” Danny’s voice rose through the crowd and a few moments later, Lydia saw him appear, a red solo cup clutched in one hand as he waved with the other. “I'm glad you could make it!”

“Sorry I'm late.” Lydia replied.

“Don't be, you look great.” Danny winked. “Come on, let's get you a drink.” He offered his arm to her and she took it with a giggle.

“Allison said you throw good parties.” Lydia said as they headed towards the kitchen.

“Someone has to. Even though they have the best house, most teenagers are too scared of the Hale’s to go to a party there, most parents of the group wouldn't let a party happen, we respect Melissa too much to trash her house, Stiles’ dad is the sheriff and Allison's apartment is too small.”

“Wait, hold up. Apartment?” Lydia frowned. “What happened to the house?” Lydia loved the Argent house, it was always so clean and perfectly decorated. Victoria had been a little scary sometimes, but Lydia knew she was a good parent. She loved going to the house and playing with Allison, running through the hallways.

Her favourite thing to do was building blanket forts when they slept over, telling stories by flashlight, trying to stay up all night, sneaking downstairs to get snacks. They were her favourite times.

“They moved out a few years ago, after Victoria died… It’s not really my place to explain.” Danny shrugged. “But enough of that!” He led Lydia into the kitchen. “Now, what's your poison?”  

Lydia eyed the counter, it was covered in alcohol and soda. Behind her was a table covered in pizza and various other snacks. It was definitely safe to say that Danny didn't hold back when it came to hosting.

“I have no idea.” Lydia replied. “Not beer? I only drink that when I have to.”

“I hear that someone is in need of assistance?” A voice called out, a moment later, Danny was pulled away from Lydia as somebody pulled him into a headlock.

“Lydia!” Danny groaned, twisting and pulling himself free of the headlock. “This is Stiles. I'm sure you remember him?”

“Sure,” Lydia nodded. “Scott's best friend. 

Stiles mock gasped. “Lydia Martin, is that all that's worth remembering about me?”

Lydia shrugged slightly. “You have more hair now?”

The only other things she could vividly remember about Stiles was the death of his mother and that he harboured a not so subtle crush on Lydia for pretty much the entire time she had known him. Neither of those things seemed good to bring to attention.

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair and Danny laughed, pushing him away. “You got that right, he finally realised that the buzzcut was _not_ doing him favours.”

“Yeah yeah.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “So come on Lydia, I'll be your bartender this evening.” He moved around the counter. “Any allergies I should know about?”

“Nope, totally fine.”

Stiles nodded. “I think I know just what to make.”

Danny settled beside Lydia, arms folded as he watched Stiles work. After a few seconds he clicked his fingers and tilted his head towards Lydia. “By the way, do you mind if I let the others know your pronoun preference?”

Lydia tried not to dwell on the ‘others’ she knew that Allison wanted her to meet the group but this made it feel considerably more real. “Not at all.”

Danny nodded. “Awesome, you'll meet everyone soon enough.”

“It's inevitable really.” Stiles added, he handed her a solo cup. “try that.”

Lydia took a small sip and hummed her approval, she could definitely taste vodka, but with the amount of fruit she could taste it wasn't as intense as she'd thought.

“Not bad, Stiles. What's it called?”

Stiles shrugged. “Yet to be decided.”

Lydia took another sip of her drink and cleared her throat. “Is Allison here yet?”

Danny and Stiles shared a look and she was pretty certain she saw Danny smirk before he nodded. “Yeah, she's around here somewhere.”

“Knowing Allison she's probably playing Mario Kart with Kira in the other room.” Stiles shrugged.

Lydia nodded slowly. “And Kira is….” Best friend? Casual acquaintance, date mate?

“Scott's girlfriend.” Stiles said. He grabbed a beer and winked at them both. “Well, I have to get back. Malia challenged me to beer pong earlier and I intend to win.” He nodded at Lydia. “It's good to see you again, hopefully you'll stick around this time.”

“That's the plan.” Lydia replied.

“So, do you want me to introduce you to people?” Danny asked. “Most of the group are here, or do you want someone to hook up with? Ethan has a brother if you're interested in boys.”

“I am. Interested in boys I mean. Girls too. Anybody, really.” Lydia cleared her throat. She hadn’t come out to anyone so easily before. “But I'll pass on the hooking up, even though I'm sure Ethan's brother is nice enough.”

“Good to know.” Danny laughed. “Want to watch Stiles get his ass kicked by Malia?”

“And Malia is?”

“Derek and Cora’s cousin. They moved here around the same time Kira did. They're acquainted with Stiles.”

“That sounds good.” Lydia smiled.

  


After a few drinks and several games of beer pong, Lydia decided that she really needed to get some air.

She caught Danny's attention and gestured towards the back door. He nodded and smiled as she turned away from him.

Outside, the air was cool, making the hairs on her arms raise and goosebumps to break out over her skin. Compared to the claustrophobic heat of Danny's house, it was almost too much.

The stars were out though, not a cloud to obscure them.

“Too much?”

Lydia whipped to the right, only to find Allison sat on a swing seat, one leg curled under her as she uses the other to make the seat sway gently. She smiles at Lydia briefly before lifting a bottle to her lips and taking a long sip.

“Something like that.” Lydia nodded, she hugged her arms to herself and turned to face Allison. She'd changed from the clothes Lydia had seen her in earlier, now she wore black skinny jeans and what she could guess was a different shirt that was hidden by a light denim jacket.

Allison gestured towards the empty space beside her with her head, stopping in the swaying. Lydia sat down, clasping her hands in her lap.

“Having fun?” Allison asked.

“Yeah it's pretty good.” Lydia said. “I met Stiles, Malia, Kira and Scott. They've been playing beer pong for the past half hour.”

Lydia couldn't help but smile, she could see why Allison was friends with them all and Scott was exactly how she remembered him to be. She wasn't sure if Allison or Danny had mentioned her to all their friends before the party, but they were all so accommodating she didn't really have it in her to care.

“How badly is Stiles losing?” Allison asked.

“Pretty badly.”

“Poor guy.” Allison chuckled. She took another swig of beer. “I'm glad you're having fun.”

“Though, to be honest, when someone invites me to a party, I generally expect to see them.” Lydia said, tilting her head towards Allison.

Allison rubbed the back of her neck and looked up towards the stars.

“I'm sorry about that.” She replied. “It's just exhausting.”

“Exhausting?”

Allison smiled slightly. “Loud music, lots of people talking over each other… It can be hard to focus sometimes.”

“Oh…” Lydia bit her lip. “I'm sorry.”

“Forgot?”

“Yeah.”

Allison laughed. “That's okay, it takes some getting used to.” She closed her eyes for a moment and took another sip of beer. “I still forget sometimes.” She frowned. “It's fine.”

She pushed her foot against the ground, making the seat swing more steadily. They fell into a brief silence.

“Bet you don't get such a view of the stars in the city, huh?” Allison asked.

“It's one of the best things about being back here.”

“I'm glad you found one thing worth sticking around for.”

Lydia looked away. “I’d stay for more than just the stars.”

Allison made a confused sound. “What?”

Lydia hesitated for a moment. “I’d stay for more than just the stars.” She repeated.

Allison smiled and they fell silent once more. Lydia didn't feel an urge to return back to the party. As much as she had been enjoying herself there was something infinitely more comfortable just sitting with Allison.

Allison sighed and pulled her leg from underneath herself, sitting forward enough to set her bottle down on the ground. She pushed her hand through her hair and turned to Lydia.

“Do you have a curfew?”

Lydia shook her head. “As long as I don't come home completely out of my face I think I'm fine.”

Allison chuckled, dropping her head slightly so that her curls obscured her face. “Me either, but I think I'm going to head back anyway.” She stood up slowly, letting out a groan as she stretched. “Do you need a ride back? Boyd is the designated driver tonight, i can ask him if you-”

“Actually… Could I walk back with you?” Lydia asked.

Allison stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Sure, we should probably say goodnight to Danny first though.”

“Good idea.”

 

They entered the house together, it wasn't hard to find Danny, who looked to be engrossed in some kind of conversation with Ethan and his brother. To be honest Lydia could only tell which one Ethan was on account of the light groping going on between him and Danny. He grinned when he noticed her and Allison though and it only faltered slightly when Allison told him they were leaving, there was a level of understanding in his eyes as he and Allison hugged.

“I'm glad you came, Lydia.” Danny said.

“Me too. I had fun.”

“First of many times together I hope?”

Lydia glanced over at Allison, who was now talking to the twins, she was frowning at Ethan's brother, but didn't seem to be paying him much attention overall.

“I'd like that.”

“Well if you're counting on hanging around with Allison you can bet on it. Maybe you can actually meet the rest of our group.” Danny winked.

“You make it sound like a club.” Lydia pointed out.

“It technically is.” Allison said, sliding up beside her. “Just not like some kind of exclusionary country club shit.”

“Oh yeah, there's no golf.” Danny grimaced.

“Crazy golf though…”

They both hummed thoughtfully before Allison burst into laughter. “We better go.”

“Get home safe.” Danny said.

“We will.” Lydia replied. “Thank you again for tonight.”

  


Lydia didn't live far from Danny's, something she was pretty glad for as they walked. Allison didn't seem drunk, but there was a definite tipsiness to her movements. 

But for all Lydia knew, that could just be Allison's general attitude. She seemed calm and happy, it was nice.

What wasn't nice, however, was the breeze that had decided to pick up. Summer or not, at this time of night it was very much an unwelcome thing.

“Are you cold?” Allison asked when Lydia hugged her arms to her chest.

Lydia nodded. “It's a good thing we’re not far from my place.”

Allison hummed and after a moment she shrugged off her jacket, offering it to Lydia. “Here.”

“No, Allison it's fine.”

“That'd be more convincing if your teeth weren't chattering.” Allison said teasingly. Her expression softened into something more caring. “Just take it Lydia, it's fine, I promise.”

Lydia pouted as she took the jacket and she resisted the urge to sigh as she put it on, it was warm and comfortable, if not a little on the long side, the sleeves almost covered Lydia's hands.

“Better?” Allison asked.

“Better.”

Allison nodded. “Good.”

They continued to walk, occasionally a car would drive past or they'd hear a dog barking in the distance but other than that it was blissfully quiet.

Eventually they slowed to a stop outside Lydia's house.

“Text me whenever.” Allison said. “I'm not sure when everyone is hanging out again but I'll let you know? We mostly just watch movies.”

Lydia laughed. “Sounds great.”

Allison smiled and took a step back. “Awesome, goodnight Lydia.”

“Goodnight, Allison.”

Allison nodded and turned around and began to walk back the way they had come.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Lydia called after her.

Allison turned on her heel and Lydia could make out the confused frown on her face. “Walking home?”

“You didn't have to go out of your way to walk me home, Allison!”

Allison shrugged. “It wasn't out of my way, I wanted to do it. Have a good night Lydia.” She waved one hand lazily and turned back around.

Lydia sighed and let herself into the house, making sure to slip off her heels before heading up to her room. Once inside, she realised she was still wearing Allison's jacket. For a moment she hugged it closer to herself before taking it off and carefully draping it over the back of her seat and then moving to grab her pyjamas from her bed.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics show texts conversations  
> Two chapters in one day tho!

 

 

Lydia woke with a groan, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the light streaming in through the window. Apparently she'd forgotten to close her curtains last night, typical.

After several unsuccessful minutes of trying to sleep, she eventually threw back the covers and crossed the room, grabbing the curtains to close them. As she went to, she caught a glimpse of a figure running past the house. Lydia immediately recognised Allison and almost as quickly as she spotted her, the other girl disappeared down the street. How Allison could be up so early was beyond her.

Lydia dropped back down into her bed, fishing her phone from underneath the pillows and rolling onto her side to type out a quick message, hitting send before she can second guess herself.

 _To: Allison, 8:47am_  
_How can you be running this early? Are you human?_  
  


She dropped her phone and rolled over, fully intending to sleep for at _least_ another hour before she even considered getting up.

When she woke again, it was to her phone vibrating with new messages.  
 

 _From: Allison, 10:21am_  
Haha

 _From: Allison, 10:21am_  
_I mean I wish, I'd make a great robot/mutant_  
  
From: Allison, 10:21am  
_Wait why were you up that early?_

 _To: Allison, 10:22am  
_ _Sunlight tried to blind me :(_

 _From: Allison, 10:23am  
_ _Boooo_

 _From: Allison, 10:25am  
_ _What are you doing later?_

 _To: Allison, 10:28am  
_ _Nothing, I haven't even gotten up yet_

 _From: Allison, 10:30am_  
_I'll see if anything’s happening, text you soon kay?_

 _To: Allison, 10:31am_  
_I'll be waiting~_

 _From: Allison, 10:31am_  
_;D_  


Lydia rolled onto her back and let out a long sigh, reaching up to push her fingers through her hair. It was probably time to get up.

By the time she's found something for breakfast and made coffee, her mother stepped into the kitchen still looking half asleep.

“You came back late last night.” She said in lieu of greeting.

“Yeah, sorry. Danny threw a party and Allison invited me over.”

“I'm glad that you're going out with people, but try not to make it a habit.” Natalie replied. “So Allison?”

Her phone beeped with a text, Lydia pulled it out and smiled at the name that lit up the screen.  
  
“Speak of the devil.”

 _From: Allison, 10:59am  
_ _Movie @ Scott's?_

 _To: Allison, 11:00am_  
_What movie?_

 _From: Allison, 11:01am  
_ _Idk, whatever we all vote on_

 _From: Allison, 11:01am  
_ _It'll either be a horror or something stupid though_

 _From: Allison, 11:02am  
_ _Hopefully stupid_

 _To: Allison, 11:03am  
_ _Sure, what time?_

 _From: Allison, 11:05am  
_ _12? I think 12_

 _From: Allison, 11:05am_  
_At Scott's_

 _From: Allison, 11:05am  
_ _Wait do you know where Scott lives?_

 _From: Allison, 11:05am  
_ Image

 _To: Allison, 11:06am  
_ _Is that a map? Drawn on a pizza box?_

 _From: Allison, 11:07am  
_ _Yep_

 _To: Allison, 11:08am  
_ _Promise you'll throw that out, also should I bring anything?_

 _From: Allison, 11:08am  
_ _Just bring yourself_

 _From: Allison, 11:09am  
_ _Snacks optional_

 _To: Allison 11:09am  
_ _I will bring snacks, don't worry_

 _From: Allison, 11:10am  
_ _:D_

 _From: Allison, 11:10am  
_ _Oh_

 _From: Allison, 11:10am  
_ _Also_

 _To: Lydia, 11:10am_  
_???_

 _From: Allison, 11:11am_  
_Make a wish_  


Lydia stared at the screen of her phone, swiping her thumb over the screen to read over the last few messages.

Allison always was the wishful type. It was cute then and only proved more endearing now.

Lydia slipped off of her seat, holding onto her phone.

“Going out?” Her mother asked. Lydia hummed. “Have fun.”

 

“Lydia!” Scott greeted happily. “Glad you could make it!”

Lydia smiled. “You seem bright this morning.”

“He's always like that!” Someone yelled from inside, sounding vaguely like Stiles.

Scott shrugged. “Pretty much everyone is here,” he stepped to the side and his smile only seemed to grow. “Come in.”

“This house is beautiful.” Lydia said, glancing around.

“You can have the full tour later.” Allison replied, appearing out of the kitchen, dressed in a long burgundy hoody and denim shorts.

Really short shorts, Lydia almost didn't realise she was wearing them.

“Hey Lydia,” she smiled brightly and gestures to Lydia's outfit. “You look great.”

She's wearing a dress, dark blue with flowers. “Thank you, I kinda feel overdressed.”

Allison made a dismissive sound. “No such thing.” She gestured to the bag in Lydia's hand “Are those snacks?”

Lydia nodded. “You still like skittles right?”

“They're probably one of my favourite things ever.” Allison replied seriously.

“Oh good, cause there's lots of them.”

Allison grinned and took the bag from Lydia only to immediately pass it over to Scott before he could disappear into the kitchen.

“Him and Kira are on snack duty, everybody else burns the popcorn. Also because the others are hungover, whom I will now introduce you to if you want?”

Lydia smiled. “Sounds great.”

Allison seemed to hesitate for a moment, hand twitching as though she were going to reach out towards Lydia. She seems to change her mind at the last moment and simply gesture for Lydia to follow instead.

In the living room are a group of people, she sees Stiles, Malia and Cora among them and she recognises the two closest to Cora from the party.

“That's Boyd and Erica.” Allison said, pointing to each in turn. “They're dating Cora.”

“Hell yeah we are.” Erica grinned, high fiving Boyd without looking. “About time we met you.”

“Be nice.” Allison admonished. Erica rolled their eyes as Allison turned Lydia. “Boyd uses him/his pronouns and Erica uses she/her.”

“It's good to put a face to the name.” Boyd speaks up.

“It's an impressive face.” Erica added.

“She does that a lot.” Boyd sighed. “You get used to it.”

From the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of someone approaching them, she turns fully to look, taking in their long blonde curls, shy expression and adorable cream cardigan.

“Lydia, this is Isaac.”

“Hi.” Isaac greeted sheepishly. “Uh, it's they/them pronouns today, but it changes.”

Lydia nodded and smiled. “It's nice to meet you.”

“I like your hair.” Isaac said, eyeing her braid.

“Thanks! I love your cardigan.”

Isaac beamed and she saw Allison make a similar expression from the corner of her eye. Before she can talk to Isaac more, Stiles calledd them over to help him move the sofas and the coffee table. Isaac smiled at Lydia again as they drift over to Stiles.

“I think that's everyone.” Allison said. “Derek isn't coming because he's a loser who thinks he's too cool for movies and can’t handle so much human contact after a night of drinking and-” the door knocks and Allison makes a sound. “Right, Danny. Duh.”

They both look as Scott opens the door revealing Danny and the twins.

“Oh and Ethan. And Aiden.”

Lydia glanced at Allison and she knew she isn't imagining the slight frown to her lips. It's gone almost as quickly as it came though and Allison is stepping back, running a hand over the back of her neck.

“Do you want a drink? We have soda and juice boxes.”

Lydia laughed. “A juice box sounds great.”

Allison saluted and darted into the kitchen, Lydia barely had time to adjust to her absence before Danny and the twins were in her space.

“Lydia, hey.” Danny smiled. “You remember Ethan and Aiden right?”

Lydia nodded. “Of course.”

“We didn't actually get to meet last night.” Aiden said. “You left before i could introduce myself.”

“Well, we've met now.” Lydia replied politely, she turned her head as she head Stiles call her name. “Uh, excuse me.”

She was thankful for Stiles’ interruption and wasted no time in going over to him, Isaac had disappeared and Boyd, Erica and Cora were currently claiming seats for themselves, she was pretty sure Cora had a hangover and looked fully prepared to fall asleep as soon as the movie started.  
  
“What’s up?” Lydia asked.  
  
Stiles sighed. “Netflix is down and all we have are Scott’s and his moms DVD’s.” He held up a few. “It’s between Brave, Homeward Bound or Die Hard. As the newcomer, you can choose.”  
  
“Homeward bound is one hundred percent going to make me cry.” Lydia replied seriously. “Die Hard.”  
  
Stiles pumped his fist in the air. “Yes! I knew i liked you. You, Lydia Martin, are a treasure.”  
  
“Um.”  
  
“Sorry, tell me to shut up if i say something that makes you uncomfortable.” Stiles mimicked zipping his lips.  
  
“No, no it’s fine.” Lydia shook her head. “I just didn’t realise you were so passionate about Die Hard.”

“Die Hard is a gift and at least half of the people in this house would agree with me.” Stiles replied. “But seriously on the uncomfortable thing. I don’t usually give myself time to think before words are coming out of my mouth. It’s a work in progress but I definitely don’t want to say something to upset you.”  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lydia nodded. “Thank you. You all keep managing to impress me with how aware you all are.”  
  
Stiles huffed a laugh as he crouched down beside the TV to put the DVD in. “Yeah, not all of us.” At Lydia’s confused expression he shot a pointed look in the direction of  where Danny and the twins were talking to Scott, who was holding bottles of soda.  
  
Lydia frowned at them and crouched beside Stiles, dropping her voice down to a whisper. “I’m going to guess it’s the twins you’re referring to?”

“Twin.” Stiles corrected. “Ethan isn’t the best but he’s dating Danny, so he’s learning.”  
  
So Aiden then, Lydia’s frown deepened. Of course it was, she wasn’t even that surprised.  
  
“That explains why Allison doesn’t like him.”  
  
Stiles raised an eyebrow and grabbed the remote for the DVD player. “She told you that?”  
  
“No, no… She uh, looked at him and it just wasn’t the expression that screamed friendship.”

They both stood as everybody began to come into the room. Allison, Isaac and Kira came out of the kitchen laughing brightly and carrying bowls of various snacks and setting them down on the coffee table. Allison squeezed Isaac’s arm and flashed Lydia as smile as she moved to sit on the far right of the semi circle that Stiles and Isaac had managed to build with the sofas and armchairs.

“Yeah that makes sense.” Stiles nodded. “They don’t talk much but he’s not on the best terms with most of us. For various reasons.” His gaze was focused on the screen as he went about setting the movie up. “It’s mostly because he’s friends with the assholes who gave a lot of us in this room hassle.”  
  
It was at that moment, Aiden chose to speak up. “Dude what are you doing?”  
  
Stiles must have known that Aiden was referring to him and flashed Lydia a quick look and there was exasperation in his eye, whatever was happening, Lydia got the impression that it wasn’t the first time.  
  
Stiles let out a brief yet heavy sigh and turned to face Aiden and the rest of the group, Lydia followed suit and found that many of them wore similar expressions to what Stiles had, the only exceptions were Scott, who was looking pleadingly at Stiles, Malia, who looked like they wanted to throttle something and Allison, who wasn’t looking at all and was more focused on pouring herself a drink and reaching for the skittles.

“I’m putting on a movie, Aiden. Though if you’d rather stare at a blank screen for the next two hours and twelve minutes then please, be my guest.” He didn’t even miss a beat. Lydia was impressed.  
  
Aiden scowled and his brother seemed to be seriously considering kicking him to stop the exchange from continuing.  
  
"Die Hard though? Really?"  
  
"It's a good movie and it's what we all want to watch." Stiles replied, not bothering to look at Aiden as he continued to set up the movie, turning on the subtitles.  
  
"It's a terrible movie." Aiden muttered.   
  
“You could always go home if you don't want to watch it that badly.” Lydia said simply, she wished she’d had something witty or sarcastic to say. But her only thought was to stand up for her friend. Aiden’s scowl seemed to be marred with confusion now and Lydia barely spared him another look, she turned her head to look at Stiles, smiling at the proud expression on his face before they parted to go fine seats. Lydia didn’t hesitate to go towards Allison. “May i?”

Allison’s head snapped up to her and nodded, smiling gently. As soon as she took the seat beside her, Allison curled her left leg under her and leant back into the cushions. “You okay?” Allison asked.  
  
Lydia hummed, shifting to make herself more comfortable, brushing her hand against Allison’s thigh in the process and _holy shit_ it felt like nothing but muscle. “Sorry.” She murmured, clearing her throat and moving her hands to her lap. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She resisted the urge to glare at Aiden and instead turned her head back to the screen so that she could focus on the movie starting.

She had seen Die Hard before, she didn't hold the same level of love for it that Stiles clearly did, so it was easy to let her attention drift to everyone else.

Stiles and Malia were squished together in one armchair, every now and again, Lydia would see Malia frown and whisper something to Stiles, who would reply immediately, his hands gesturing wildly as he explained everything.

Danny and the twins were all watching silently, Aiden looked to be doing it out of pure stubbornness, rolling his eyes every now and again. Ethan seemed to be elbowing him every few minutes.

Scott and Kira were feeding each other popcorn and giggling. They were so sickeningly cute that Lydia felt her heart warm from watching them.

Isaac and Erica seemed to be locked in a quiet yet serious discussion, well, Erica was doing all the talking, Isaac was nodding along seriously, playing with the tips of their hair. Cora was fast asleep, stretched over all of them with her head resting in Boyd’s lap. Boyd seemed to be doing the same thing as Lydia, checking over the group, he nodded at her when their eyes met and turned back to the movie.

But even with all of that, no matter what she did, Lydia's attention was drawn back to the girl beside her.

Allison was focused on the movie, her eyes moved along the screen with practised ease. She was settled into the sofa like she had always belonged and Lydia could feel the heat of her along the right side of her body.

On a few occasions, Allison noticed Lydia's glances and turned her head to meet her gaze, head tilting to the side inquisitively, silently asking if Lydia's alright. Lydia always answered with a smile and a shrug before forcing her attention back to the movie but from the corner of her eye she sees Allison roll her eyes, not out of exasperation, but fondness. Lydia can see it in the curl of Allison's lips and the whole interaction feels achingly familiar and exhilarating all at once.

 

Once the movie was over, Cora had recovered enough to tell everybody that she was hungry, and after a few murmurs of agreement that was how Lydia found herself crammed into a booth at the diner.

There wasn't a booth big enough to seat them all and so they'd split into two groups, in all of the mayhem, Lydia had found herself against the window with Kira on her other side and Malia and Erica. Across the table sat Allison, Isaac and Stiles. As everybody began to order, Lydia got the impression that the seating plan wasn’t as spontaneous as she first thought.

It was easy to talk to everyone at her table, though by everyone, it really meant everyone but Isaac and Allison. Stiles was easy to get to talk, he was still riding the post Die Hard high and it took a kick from Malia to shut him up so that Kira could start talking about her love of photography and the blog she runs. Malia would speak up about how many followers Kira had and how colleges were already scoping her out. Lydia loved how proud they were of their friend. It helped that they were all so willing to talk about themselves, Lydia still can’t shake the feeling that they know almost everything about her when she knows so little.  
  
Lydia glanced over the table at Allison, noting with a frown that the other girl seemed down or at the very least, distracted. Her head was resting against the window as she stared up at the sky.

Stiles was in the middle of explaining to Kira why it was important that they all marathon the Star Wars movies at some point when Isaac tapped Allison on her shoulder. Lydia watched as Isaac made some quick hand gestures at Allison. Allison nodded at him and made a gesture of her own, Lydia belatedly realised that they were signing each other.

Isaac moved to stand, sliding past Stiles and out of the booth. Allison stretched her arms above her head.  
  
“We’ll be right back.” She said, smiling at everyone. “Grab us if we’re not back by the time to food gets here.”  
  
“You got it.” Stiles replied.  
  
Lydia frowned as she watched them go, Kira nudge her gently.  
  
“Isaac smokes, so does Cora.” She gestures to the woman on the table behind them. “Allison is guilty of the occasional cigarette.”  
  
“Do you all know sign language?” Lydia asked.

“Not fluently.” Stiles replied. “But yeah, we’re all learning. Isaac is the best. They’re why we actually started to learn.”  
  
“We mostly use it to talk in class.” Malia added.  
  
“Are they dating?”  
  
“Nah,” Kira shook her head as Malia laughed quietly beside her. “they’re close though.”

“Isaac doesn't talk much a lot of the time and Allison tends to relate best to that whenever they don’t feel like it.” Malia spoke up.  
  
“What about that guy she works with?”  
  
“Who, Derek?” Stiles laughed even harder. “No, they aren’t dating either. They’re just like, best friends or whatever.”  
  
“The last person Allison dated was Kira.” Malia snickered. “And that was forever ago.”  
  
Lydia stared. Allison and Kira? That’s too much cute and attractiveness for one couple to have.

“What happened?” Lydia asked.  
  
Kira shrugged. “It was just bad timing, I was still pretty new to town and a lot was happening so we agreed it was best for our friendship to end it. And then a few months later I fell for Scott and she helped us get together.”

“That’s adorable, you two are precious together.” Lydia replied.  
  
Kira blushed, only further confirming that.

“So how about you Lydia? Do you have anyone back in L.A?” Stiles spoke up.  
  
“No. I… Dated this guy for a while but things ended a few weeks ago.” Lydia shrugged. “It’s fine.”  
  
“What’s fine?” Allison asked, sliding back into her seat.  
  
“Lydia was just telling us about the guy she dated and broke up with before she moved back here.” Stiles explained.  
  
Allison raised an eyebrow. “Anybody I have to fight?”  
  
Isaac chuckled as they sat beside her. “You can’t fight everybody, Allison.”  
  
“If they hurt my friends then yes i can. Just watch me.” Allison replied seriously.  
  
“He’s not worth the effort.” Lydia sighed.  
  
Allison cocked her head to the side, she watched Lydia for a few moments before nodding. “Okay, but if i ever happen to be in L.A and i see him, that’s fine right?”  
  
“Stop trying to find a loophole, Allison.” Isaac muttered.

“Never.”  
  
That was when the waitress brought their food over, and the topic quickly changed. Allison and Stiles shoved fries into their mouths at a speed that had Isaac looking concerned between them.

 

Barely halfway into the meal, Ethan and Aiden both left, talking about how they had to pick their bikes from the garage. Lydia kept a neutral expression when Aiden tried to wave her goodbye. She barely knew him but based on today alone, she knew he was the type of person she didn't want to be around. He reminded her a lot like the people she found herself with in L.A and she didn't like it.

“So wait,” Lydia spoke up a few minutes later, twisting so Scott, Boyd, Cora and Danny all knew she was addressing them too. “How did you all end up meeting? I basically grew up with Allison, Danny, Scott and Stiles but I don't remember the rest of you…”

“Oh my god, this is a huge story.” Danny said, rolling his head back against the back of the seat. “Seriously, how long do you have? This is a coming of age novel.”

“It has everything.” Stiles spoke up. “Full of twists and angst and drama. John Hughes has nothing on us.”

Isaac rolled their eyes and slapped Stiles’ shoulder. “He's being a little dramatic. But it is a big story.”

“Long story short?” Danny began. “Sophomore year was pretty boring and as far as I knew I was the only out kid so I decided to start a LGBT+ club. Allison was technically the first person to show up.”

Allison let out a sheepish laugh and when Lydia turned to look, she was rubbing the back of her neck.

“Technically?” Lydia asked.

“I didn't know it was a club, he was holding it in the library and i needed somewhere to nap while I waited for my dad to come pick me up.” She straightened up in her seat. “But then Danny started talking to me and I learned a lot and figured it was worth sticking around for.”

“And then over a few months she kept bringing people in.” Danny said.

“You brought people too!” Allison protested. “If it weren't for all those posters and pamphlets Malia, Cora and Derek wouldn't have shown up!”

“Well you know what I say about a well designed leaflet.” Cora drawled.

“Eventually we realised that we had classes with each other, one way or another.” Scott said. “And it worked out really well because… Most of us didn't really have many friends and now we do!”

“It's very Breakfast Club.” Erica added. “We all sit together at lunch and sing campfire songs. It's sickening.”

“Aw Erica, we love you too.” Malia sang.

“The point is,” Danny interrupted, clearing his throat pointedly. “I started this so that people could feel safe and learn about different sexualities and genders and thanks to it we've become a happy little family.”

“And that's basically how we all met.” Allison shrugged. “During the semester we meet every Tuesday after class, there’s sometimes snacks.”  
  
“We mostly talk about how to make the school more inclusive for everybody.” Kira said. “But politics and philosophy tend to make appearances too.”  
“What do you think?” Danny asked. “You want in?”  
  
It wasn’t as though Lydia had to think especially hard about it. The choice was obvious, but to look around the group and see everyone watching her, all with hopeful expressions, or as close to hopeful as most of them could get, Lydia felt like she belonged.  
  
She met Allison’s gaze and smiled. “How could i say no? Sometimes there’s snacks.”  
  
The laughter that broke out around her only made her smile more.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates should come every other day from now on


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise i decided to ignore my own schedule and post today

 

  
Lydia stared at the instructions in her hands until her eyes began to burn, the contents of the box spread out on her floor in front of her. It didn’t matter that she had been staring at the instructions for what felt like a lifetime, they didn’t become any easier to understand.   
  
Why did she have to go to IKEA?  
  
She hadn’t seen the rest of the group for a few days. Cora and Malia had gone out of town for a relative's birthday, meaning that Boyd, Erica, Stiles and Derek- who she still hadn’t actually met- had gone too.  
  
Allison and Scott both had shifts at their respective jobs that kept them busy and the rest had various other commitments. Lydia figured this was a good opportunity for her to carry on decorating her room and when the bookcase she had ordered her first night in Beacon Hills showed up she thought that it would be a good idea to attempt to build it.  
  
She had greatly underestimated just how complicated it would be. There was a screw that had three parts and nowhere for it to go. Lydia may be on the verge of tears.  
  
The phone call was so sudden that she dropped the instructions, she watched it flutter to the ground and slide under the bed. It was for the best, she was about to rip it up out of frustration. She barely reached her phone in time to slide her thumb across the answer button.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
_“Good morning.”_ Allison sang. Lydia could hear music playing quietly in the background.  
  
“It’s almost one.”  
  
_“...Technicality. I covered Derek’s shift so i was exhausted.”_ _  
__  
_ “You’re a volunteer, are they even allowed to make you work that much?” Lydia asked, all she received was a vague sound in response. “So you’re all rested up?”  
  
A happier sound this time. _“What are you up to?”_ _  
__  
_ “Trying to put a bookcase together.”  
  
_“Oh?”_ _  
__  
_ Lydia sighed. “‘Trying’ being the operative word.”  
  
_“Ah, another victim in the war of mankind versus DIY?”_

Lydia laughed quietly and sat down on the floor, resting her back against the foot of the bed. “That’s an understatement.”  
  
A considering hum now. _“Need a hand?”_  
  
“What?”  
  
_“Your bookcase, i can put it together if you want?”_  
  
“You don’t have to. You probably have more important things to do.”  
  
Allison laughed. _“What’s more important than helping a friend in need?”_  
  
Lydia rolled her eyes, this was the familiar Allison Argent stubbornness that Lydia remembered shining through. “I’ll provide snacks?”  
  
_“See, now I’m just gonna run there.”_ Allison laughed again. _“Ten minutes, tops.”_  
  
“I’m not going to time you, Allison.”  
  
Allison clicked her tongue and the line went dead.  
  
  
  
  
Nine minutes later, the front door knocked. When Lydia opened the door, Allison was doubled over in front of her, her hands resting on her knees as she took in several deep breaths.

Lydia tried really hard not to be distracted by Allison in grey sweatpants and a unfairly tight white t-shirt (holy shit were those abs?)  
  
“I thought you had a car?” Lydia said, forcing her gaze upwards.  
  
“Didn’t… Run… This morning.” Allison replied. She straightened up and took another deep breath. “How long did i take?”  
  
“I told you i wasn’t going to time you.”  
  
Allison stared at her, cocking her head to the side. Lydia stared back for as long as she could before she sighed.  
  
“Nine minutes.”

Allison grinned. “Awesome.”  
  
Lydia stepped to the side to let Allison in. “Do you still want those snacks?” She headed towards the kitchen and heard Allison close the door and follow her, pausing to slip her shoes off her feet first.  
  
“I could go for a drink?”  
  
“Soda?”  
  
Allison slid up to lean against the counter, when Lydia glanced over at her, she saw Allison putting her hair back up into a bun. “Soda sounds good.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just exhaust yourself by running all the way here?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Nah, believe me, my morning runs are usually a lot longer.” Allison grinned, her dimples flashing as she accepted a can of soda from Lydia. “So, this bookcase?”  
  
Lydia gestured to the stairs with a nod of her head. “Right this way.”  
  
  
There was a sudden silence when Allison stepped into her room, when Lydia turned toward her, she realised Allison was standing in the doorway.  
  
“Are you okay?” Lydia asked.  
  
It took a moment, but Allison nodded. “It feels so weird to be back.” She crouched down the trace her fingers over the notches on her door frame. “I can’t believe this is still here.”  
  
Lydia sat down on her bed and watched as Allison moved further into the room, her eyes moved over every surface. She could almost see the memories of their childhood play out in Allison’s mind and if Allison noticed the lack of photos on her walls and desk, she didn’t mention it.  
  
Now that she thinks about it, there might be some photos of them somewhere. Lydia made a note to ask her mom about it the next time she saw her.  
  
“So this is the culprit?” Allison asked, staring down at the pieces of the bookcase on the ground.  
  
“The one and the same.”  
  
Allison stared at the boxes. “And these are all filled with books?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“Do you think that this one case is enough?”  
  
“For my own good, i sure hope so.”  
  
Allison laughed brightly and set her soda down before clapping her hands together. “Okay then, well, I guess I’ll get started?”  
  
“Anything i can do to help?”  
  
“Do you have any music?”  
  
Lydia slid off the bed and past Allison towards her laptop. “Sure, any preference?” She leaned over the laptop as she pulled up her iTunes, Lydia looked over her shoulder at Allison who was now staring at the ground, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Surprise me.”  
  
She clicked shuffle and adjusted the volume before she made her way back over to the bed, this time dragging a box with her. If Allison was going to spend her time putting the bookcase together, the least Lydia could do was make sure her books were ready to be put away.  
_  
_ Allison sat on the floor and fished the instructions out from under the bed, studying them with a slight frown on her face. Lydia kept finding herself looking over her books at the girl, the silence between them wasn't… Tense, per se, it just didn't feel completely comfortable either.

“Hey, remember that time Stiles spoiled Goblet of Fire for you?” Allison asked.

Lydia dropped her book onto the bed and let out a long groan. “I genuinely wanted to kill him that day.”

“Can you imagine if someone spoiled the last book?”

“I would have had to of learned how to hide a body.”

Allison laughed quietly, ducking her head. “Don't worry, i would have helped.”

“Always helping a friend in need?” Lydia asked.

“Always.”

Allison let out a groan as she pushed the bookcase into place, for a moment Lydia had the mental image of the bookcase somehow falling onto Allison. The moment passed quickly enough and Allison stepped back, looking over her shoulder at Lydia.

“Not bad, huh?”

She looked so proud of herself, Lydia couldn't blame her, she'd managed to put the whole thing together in less than an hour and without any serious injuries (Lydia pretended not to notice when Allison hit her head on a shelf standing up too fast)

“I'm impressed.” Lydia replied.

Allison grinned. “Is it okay here? Do you want me to move it?”

Lydia slid off the bed and let her hand rest on Allison's elbow. “It's fine, it's perfect. Thank you Allison.”

Allison beamed at her. “I'm glad I could help.” She gestured to the books. “Shall I-”

Lydia dropped her head and laughed. “Go sit down, take a break.”

Allison rolled her eyes and dropped down on the bed. “Oh my _God_ this is the most comfortable bed ever.”

“I'm glad you approve.” Lydia smiled to herself as she started to place books on the shelf. 

Allison stretched out onto the bed. “How do you feel about camping?”

“Camping, camping. Or you and I camping in your back garden and then getting too scared?”

Allison sat up and gasps dramatically, but her eyes are alight with amusement. “I wasn't scared!” She exclaimed. “And, camping camping. Kira suggested it, said it could be fun.”

“I've never been.” Lydia admitted.

“Do you want to?”

“I don't have any camping stuff.”

“I mean okay, but all that aside, would you want to? Like no pressure. There's nothing set in stone but like, there's enough people who drive. Make it into a roadtrip, spend a few nights there, come back with memories to last a lifetime and feeling like we've all grown as people, probably.”

It sounded like an opportunity, Lydia knew she'd be making a mistake if she didn't go. She was pretty sure she'd be sold at seeing Allison's puppy dog eyes, anyway.

“Sounds like it could be an adventure.”

Allison was grinning so much Lydia was sure that it must hurt.

“Awesome.” Allison said as she lay down against the pillows. “Awesome.” She repeated again, quieter this time.

Lydia watched her for a few moments, waiting to see if she had any thing more to offer. She didn't, so Lydia went back to putting her books away.

When she looked back over at Allison, she realised she had fallen asleep.

She deserved it, so Lydia left her to it.  
  
  


It was only a matter of time until Lydia got distracted by one of her books, leaving her to sit cross legged at the foot of the bed, careful not to disturb Allison.

It's been so long since Lydia last read this book, she wondered where she left the other parts of the trilogy.

A warmth settled against her side as something soft rested on her shoulder. Lydia almost jumped at the sleepy; “whatcha reading?” Against her ear.

Lydia turned her head to try and look at Allison but thought better of it when realised she was likely to headbutt the girl.

“The Golden Compass.”

Allison shifted closer, probably to try and read a few lines.

“Wasn't that a movie?”

Lydia laughed. “Yeah, it was based on this. It's a good book. The entire concepts of daemons is fascinating.”

Allison made a sound of confusion. “Daemons?”

“Think of them as like physical representations of your soul.” Lydia replied. She's been staring at the page in front of her since Allison woke up but none of the words stood out to her, all she could focus on was Allison's breath against her skin or the warmth of her body.

“I don't get it.”

“Like a patronus but always there.”

“Oh! Cool.” Allison shifted closer. “So what’s your daemon?”

Lydia smiled. “I don't know, I haven't thought about it.” She shifted over to the side as much as she could without displacing Allison. “Did you sleep well?”

“Sorry about that.” Allison muttered.

“Don't be, naps are good for you.”

Allison hummed. “That's definitely true.” She rubbed one of her eyes and yawned. “Remember all those times I'd fall asleep in class?”

Lydia laughed. “I'd have to poke you awake every day, even as a kid I didn't know whether to be concerned or impressed by your ability to sleep anywhere.”

“Definitely impressed. It's only gotten easier too, just gotta keep the left ear to the ground and it's basically blissful silence.”

She clearly meant it as a joke, but Lydia doesn't respond with more than a smile that feels beyond halfhearted.

Allison was quiet for a few moments. Lydia closed her book and let it rest in her lap.

“Does it bother you?” Allison asked.

“Huh?”

“My hearing.” Allison said quietly, apprehensively. They were both staring at the book, they may as well be talking to it instead of to each other. “Does it bother you?”

“Of course not.” Lydia relaxed her grip on her book.

Allison made another sound, she seemed to do that a lot. A quiet hum here, an exclamation there, it was surprisingly easy for Lydia to start telling the difference between each of them. This sound was thoughtful, like she had put together the pieces of a puzzle.

“If you're worried about saying something that'll upset or offend me, then don't be.” Allison lifted her head and Lydia turned to face her. Allison was watching her carefully, smiling a little. “The worst you could do is treat me like a child.”

“But-”

“But,” Allison cut her off, still smiling. “If you do _somehow_ say something that bothers me, I'll tell you. Honestly Lydia, I trust you.” She ducked her head for a moment before she met Lydia's gaze again. “I know there's a lot that hasn't been said between us, but I will tell you, okay? I promise.”

Lydia nodded. “Me too.”

Allison shifted onto her knees and slung one arm around Lydia's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. It took Lydia a couple of seconds to remember how hugs worked and wrapped her own arms around Allison. She was so warm and solid and soft and Lydia could definitely get used to this being a thing.

“Lydia? Are you in-”

The door opened and her mother froze in the doorway as Allison and Lydia broke apart, both whipping their heads towards the door. Allison had pulled away with such force Lydia was sure that she was going to just topple backwards off of the bed.

She reached up to grab the arm Allison still had around her shoulders and steady her.

A beat passed between them all.

“Hey mom.” Lydia greeted as calmly as she could, feeling the back of her neck heating up, as though she'd been caught in the act of something. “what's up?”

Her mother looked between Lydia and Allison, lingering on Allison for a lot longer.

“I was just seeing how you were, I didn't know you had a guest.”

Allison cleared her throat, ducking her head for a brief moment before smiling. “Ms Martin, it's good to see you again. You look as radiant as ever.”

Lydia turned to give Allison a look that she hoped accurately conveyed _‘did you just flirt with my mom?’_ And by Allison's shrug, she'd guess that Allison understood the message.

“Allison Argent, I shouldn't be surprised to see you here.”

Yet she clearly is, Lydia could tell.

“We were actually about to leave.” Lydia said.

“You are?”

“We are?” Lydia gave Allison a look, her eyes widened a little and she nodded. “We are.”

“Will you be back for dinner?” Her mother asked.

Lydia slid off of the bed and grabbed her phone and purse from the table. “Maybe? I don't know.”

Allison followed her lead and climbed off of the bed, shoving her hands into the pockets her sweatpants.

Her mother stepped to the side as they walked past. “Well… Have fun.”

“We will.”

“If you have flat shoes, I suggest you wear them.” Allison murmured.

Lydia frowned, she had some boots by the door that would go with her outfit.

“Where are we even going?” Lydia asked.

“I have an idea.” Allison smiled.

“Where are we?” Lydia asked quietly.

They'd been walking in relative silence towards the preserve for a while. Even though the midday heat had broken it was still way too hot to be going on long walks through town, but once they were safely hidden by the trees, Lydia felt herself relax.  
  
Allison was walking a few feet in front of her, hands outstretched and brushing against the bark, kicking stones out of the way as she walked. At least she seemed to know where she was going.

“Allison!” Lydia called, raising her voice slightly. Allison stopped and turned to face her. “Where are we going?”  
  
“Remember when we were kids and everyone was really excited because we thought we were going to get a train depot?”  
  
“Vaguely.”  
  
Allison turned and continued walking, Lydia fell into step with her. “Well it went wrong, like, horribly wrong. So the whole project got abandoned. So now we have another empty building to add to the worryingly large list. But also…” They came out of the trees and face to face with railway tracks. Allison hadn’t been kidding, to their right they led to nothing, as though workers had literally disappeared during construction. To the left, Lydia could only assume that they led to the depot Allison had mentioned.

“So, your mom didn’t seem too thrilled to see me.” Allison said, she grabbed a large branch from the ground and hopped onto the tracks, making a show of attempting to balance.  
  
“She did seem surprised.” Lydia agreed. She couldn’t really understand why, it wasn’t as though they had been doing anything, unless, from her angle it looked like something? Lydia shook the thought away. It didn’t seem like something to dwell on.  
  
“Oh well.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it.” Lydia replied. She tentatively mimicked Allison and began to balance on the other side of the track. “Do you come here often?”  
  
“Nah.” Allison held the branch out between them and Lydia grabbed the other end, it helped her balance a little easier. “Not anymore anyway. I used to come here to be alone a lot. It made me feel happier.”  
  
Lydia wondered what could have made Allison feel the need to be alone in a place like this, somewhere that felt so far away from everyone else.  
  
“It is beautiful though. I’m kind of glad that they didn’t finish the tracks.”  
  
“Yeah.” Allison agreed, pulling the branch from Lydia and throwing it clear, she quickly threw both of her hands out to balance herself as she let out a considering hum. “I guess places like this are better when you have someone to experience it with.”  
  
She stumbled and Lydia didn’t hesitate to grab Allison’s hand. Allison stared down at it for a moment as they continued to follow the tracks.  
  
“I guess so.” Lydia replied.  
  
Allison tightened her grip on Lydia’s hand, Lydia didn’t know where they were going to go but she was more than happy to let Allison guide her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is a busy day so chapter four will be up on Friday, have a safe day!


	4. Chapter 4

 

  
“How did you meet everyone?” Lydia asked.   
  
When Kira had invited Lydia out for coffee, she had initially been nervous about the possibility of not knowing what to say when it was just the two of them hanging out together, thankfully Kira seemed to refuse to let that happen and they fell into easy conversation as soon as they walked into the coffee shop. Through a stroke of luck they’d claimed the sofa as their seats, it felt like the bell above the door was ringing every minute because of people coming and going and a brief scan of the room told Lydia that Cora wasn’t working this morning.  
  
Kira tore open a packet of sugar with her teeth and poured it into her coffee. “Through Allison.”  
  
“Oh,” Lydia cradled her cup in her hands. “how did you meet her?”  
  
Kira laughed quietly, looking down into her coffee. “I’d been here for a couple of weeks, transferred in the middle of the semester. I was first into Con Econ, not even the teacher was there yet. But there she was, back row, fast asleep. I’d seen her around before so i knew she didn’t have a class with me and i didn’t know what to do. So i sat down, my seat was conveniently right next to hers.”  
  
The sound of a mug breaking somewhere behind them cut Kira off. They both looked to see what had happened but quickly focused back on each other as someone began to clean up the mess.  
  
“Then what happened?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Boyd showed up. Allison was actually in his seat. He didn’t seem surprised but to be honest, i don’t think anything can surprise that boy.” Kira laughed and Lydia found herself smiling back at her. “Long story short, we teamed up to keep the teacher from giving her a detention, we started talking and she invited both of us to sit with her at lunch, Scott, Stiles, Malia, Cora and Derek were there.”  
  
“And that was that?”  
  
Kira grinned. “Basically, yeah.”

“If i hadn’t gotten a glimpse of Derek when i met Allison, i wouldn’t be convinced that he was a real person.”  
  
Kira took a sip of her coffee and grimaced, already reaching towards the extra packets of sugar. “You’ll meet him soon enough, we hang out at the Hale place a lot because it’s in the preserve and has lots of land. Also because Henry makes amazing barbecues.”  
  
Kira was so earnest and sweet it made the smallest part in Lydia’s mind go into the defensive. She didn’t have enough fingers to count the times someone’s kindness had turned out to be a front to conceal their cruelness. She had to remind herself that Kira wasn’t like that, none of these people were. They were different from the people she used to call her friends.

“What about you?”  
  
Lydia shook away her thoughts and focused on Kira. “What about me?”  
  
“How did you meet Allison?”  
  
Lydia shifted in her seat to set her drink down on the table in front of them. “It was during recess in kindergarten. Our very first day and i… I wasn’t really up for being sociable. There were a couple of boys in the sandpit, so that was out of the question. Most of the girls were playing hopscotch and i didn’t know how to play and i didn’t want to ask, the rest of the boys were playing kickball so i just kind of hung out under the tree, this huge tree.”

Lydia could still remember the patterns the leaves made in the shadows, little splashes of sunlight that managed to break through the gaps. She remembered wishing she could try to draw it, looking for a stick so she could at least try to trace the patterns in the dirt.

“One of the boys kicked the ball at me. On purpose. And i uh- i wasn’t hurt, i mean it hurt, but- but i didn’t know what to do, so i pretended to be fine, like i didn’t care.” She didn’t mean to frown, but the memory made it clear to her that there was a definite theme to how she handled certain things. Kira frowned too and Lydia stumbled to get to the point. “The boy kept yelling at me to throw the ball back. But then Allison showed up, just out of nowhere.”  
  
She hadn’t been kidding, to this day, Lydia still couldn’t remember if she had seen Allison before that moment.  
  
What she _could_ remember though, was the way she had picked up the ball from where it had landed after it had hit Lydia. Even then she was taller than Lydia, only slightly. Her shoes were scuffed from dirt and one of the laces had come undone and there was a tear on the knees of her jeans and her t-shirt had had a dinosaur on it. Her hair was long and dark and had been braided. But it was her expression that still stuck in Lydia’s mind. The curious smile, the missing tooth and scattering of freckles on her nose. The soft way she asked Lydia if she was okay.

“What did she do?” Kira asked.  
  
Lydia smiled. “She held onto the ball until the boy came over and then she told him to apologise to me.”  
  
“Did he?”  
  
“No.” Lydia huffed a laugh. “The boy was Jackson Whittemore, I don’t think you met him but you should have at least heard about him.”  
  
Kira nodded gravely.  
  
“Well, when he didn’t apologise, Allison threw the ball at him. He was only a couple feet away and she got him right in the face. And then she turned around, told me her name and asked if I wanted to play with her.” Lydia shrugged. “And that was it.”  
  
“That’s adorable.” Kira said, her eyes were bright and she was almost bouncing in her seat. “I’d kill to see pictures of you all tiny.”  
  
“I might have some, somewhere.” Lydia replied. “I’ll try to find them.”  
  
“Oh my God, please do.” Kira nodded. She opened her mouth to say something else when both of their phones chimed with messages. They raised an eyebrow at each other before pulling them from their pockets.

_From: Stiles, 11:40am_  
@ Scott’s, mama McCall is making pancakes for lunch. plenty for all

Lydia looked up at Kira. “I’m guessing you got the same message?”  
  
Kira nodded. “How do you feel about pancakes?”  
  
“They’re the backbone of this nation.”  
  
Kira laughed and finished her coffee. “So what are we waiting for?”  
  


Scott, Stiles and Isaac were all crammed side by side on the sofa playing video games when Lydia and Kira arrived. Danny was sat in a chair on his own, his laptop balanced on his knees as he typed away, an earphone hanging from one ear. From the direction of the kitchen, Lydia could hear Melissa humming away.  
  
“Morning all.” Kira greeted, rolling her eyes when she received grunts of varying volumes in response. There was an explosion on the screen and Scott looked up, grinning at Kira.  
  
“Good morning. Hey Lydia.”  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Another explosion and Isaac sighed, setting the controller down and looking over at them. “Hey, his/him pronouns today.”  
  
“Sure.” Kira nodded, moving to perch herself on the arm of the sofa. “Where’s Allison?”  
  
A hail of gunfire caused Stiles to curse, dropping his controller in his lap and sitting back. “If she’s not already on her way then she’s still at home.”  
  
“I’ll text her.” Scott said. “She has a tendency to fall asleep on her left side, so… She misses  alarms occasionally, y’know?”

“Now that i think about it, i didn’t see her running this morning.” Lydia said. She wasn’t expecting everyone to hear her, but they did and they all looked up at her, expressions varying from confusion to amusement.  
  
“You see her running often, Lydia?” Stiles asked, standing up and stretching.  
  
“She runs past my house, that’s all.”  
  
Isaac hummed, reaching around Scott to grab Stiles’ controller and holding it up for Lydia. “How are you with shooting enemy robots in highly stressful situations?”  
  
“Can’t say i have much experience on the matter.”  
  
“Close enough. Have a seat and get ready to have your mind blown.”  
  
  


When Allison all but stumbled into the house ten minutes later, Lydia was so engrossed in the game that she didn’t actually notice until she dropped down onto the floor in front of her.

“Who’s winning?” She asked.  
  
“We’re all on the same team.” Stiles replied.  
  
“Okay, are you winning or- holy fuck are those robots?”  
  
“The robots are winning.” Lydia said.  
  
Allison craned her neck to look up at Lydia. “See, now i know this is bullshit. You could totally destroy all of the robots.”  
  
Lydia barely managed to get her character to cover before they were blown up. She raised an eyebrow at Allison. “How would i do that?”  
  
“You’d like, read the manual and find their kill switch. Something nobody else thought to do cause you’re a genius.”  
  
She barely registered her character dying on screen or the groans of Stiles and Isaac and Scott taking the controller from her.

“What?” Lydia asked.  
  
“You’re a genius, you could probably rewire the robots to like, fight for our side or something.” Allison shrugged. She looked over at Stiles. “What even is this game, anyway?”  
  
“How many of you are there?” Melissa’s head appeared in the doorway. She scanned over everyone, smiling a little more when she saw Lydia on her sofa. “Okay, five minutes you lot.”  
  
“Pancakes for lunch.” Allison sighed happily. “This is the life.” She stood up and patted Lydia’s knee on the way up. “Yo, Danny.” She waved a hand in front of his face. “Pancakes, five minutes.”  
  
Danny pulled his earphones free. “Hey, sorry. Lydia! When did you get here?”  
  
“Really focused there, huh?” Allison asked.  
  
“What are you even doing?” Stiles added. “I don’t think you’ve spoken since you got here.”  
  
“Answering messages.”  
  
“Messages?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Danny is a blogger.” Kira explained.  
  
“I also vlog occasionally.” Danny pointed out. “But okay, so me and Allison were talking a while back, and our group covers a huge spectrum of sexualities and genders and we all come from different backgrounds and stuff so maybe we could make a series, videos or just a blog post or whatever so…” He looked over at Allison, who seemed to take the silent cue.  
  
“So we can talk about our experiences and maybe someone, somewhere in the world will understand themselves a little more, feel less alone, have someone they can talk to. Be a little safe space, you know?” Allison continued.  
  
“Sounds fun.” Kira smiled.  
  
“Hell yeah, I’m in.” Stiles nodded.

“We all will be.” Isaac agreed. “But, if there’s gonna be videos i’m gonna need to go shopping.”

They were all so relaxed and ready for this idea, it was a bit to take in for Lydia, just to see how willing they all were to share their experiences on the off chance that it could help someone. It was admirable as hell and Lydia didn't know what to do with the information.  
  
“Shopping!” Allison clapped her hands together, grinning at Isaac. “I like the sound of that.” She turned to Lydia. “Shopping?

“You can never go wrong with a good shopping trip.” Lydia replied automatically. It occurred to her that she hadn’t actually come out to anybody in the group yet, besides Danny, thankfully she’d been given the opportunity to do it in the most casual way. “And i’m all for doing anything I can do to help the other little bisexuals in the world.”  
  
She doubted that  _she_ would actually be able to help anybody, but the words were out there now and well, she may as well try to be on the same level as her friends.  
  
Isaac leaned over Scott and held up his hand. “Bi buddies.”  
  
Lydia returned the high-five. She looked over at the rest of the group, noticing Allison watching them carefully.  
  
“I mean we have to run it past everybody else first.” She said.  
  
“It’s definitely still a maybe.” Danny reminded them. “It wouldn’t be until after summer because i need access to school equipment. Our priority is still making the school and town a safer place.” Danny typed a few more words onto his laptop and then closed the lid.  
  
Allison ruffled his hair. “We’ll figure it out. But… Pancake time?”  
  
Danny rolled his eyes and smiled. “Pancake time.”  
  
Allison pumped her fist in the air and kissed the top of his head before launching herself towards the kitchen, yelling “Melissa! Can i help!?” on her way.  
  
Everybody watched her disappear into the kitchen.  
  
“Social justice always works up an appetite.” Scott murmured, switching the TV over to a random cooking show before getting up, presumably to go and help.

“So Cora and everyone will be back tonight, right?” Isaac asked, he knelt down beside the coffee table and began to clear it of its mess. “We can all probably go shopping this week.”  
  
“And probably figure out where we stand with the camping trip.” Stiles added. “I mean we have the whole summer but the sooner we figure it all out the better.”  
  
“I just want to see how you all do at putting up a tent.” Kira grinned. “I’d pay to see that.”  
  
“Allison can put up a bookcase, i think she can handle a tent.” Lydia said, her mind drifting back to watching the muscles in Allison’s arms and shoulders work as she lifted the case, it had been an image that had stuck in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to push it away.

“Dude, Allison is like, the clumsiest person ever. A bookcase is solid but a tent…” Stiles shook his head. “But when exactly did Allison put up a bookcase?”  
  
Lydia shrugged. “I needed help, so she offered to come over and then we hung out for a while. It’s no big deal.”  
  
“That’s adorable.” Stiles said.  
  
“If you all want pancakes, come and get them!” Melissa called. “Before Scott and Allison eat them all!”  
  
  
After what was easily the best pancakes she’d ever eaten in her life, Lydia almost felt like she could take a nap. Scott, Isaac and Stiles had resumed their attempts at beating the robots in their game, Kira and Danny were huddled around his laptop and Allison had taken up her seat on the floor in front of the sofa once more, so close that she’s almost leaning against Lydia’s leg.  
  
Every time one of them died, the controller would be passed along and they’d try again, all the while Allison would make jokes or suggestions that barely bordered on constructive.  
  
“You know you could just google it.” Allison murmured, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Find a walkthrough or something.”  
  
“That’s cheating, Allison.” Scott sighed.  
  
“It’s not cheating! Cheating would be using codes so that your character can’t die. Walkthroughs are there to give you help when it’s needed.”

Lydia groaned when her character died and she tapped Allison on the shoulder with the controller until Allison craned her neck back to look up at her.  
  
“Allison does have a point.” Lydia agreed. “At this point it’s just the logical thing to do.” She glanced down at her phone. “I should also head back soon.”  
  
Allison’s brow furrowed for a moment. “You need to leave?” There was an explosion on screen.  
  
“Not yet, soon.”  
  
“I can give you a ride back if you want?”  
  
Lydia had a fleeting image of Allison giving her a piggyback ride home, until rational thought kicked in. “You brought your car?”  
  
Allison shrugged and grabbed the controller. “I really wanted pancakes.”  
  
“You don’t have to.”  
  
Allison smiled. “It’s really not a problem, I have to leave soon too, anyway.”  
  
“If you want to…”  
  
Allison grinned, bumping her shoulder against Lydia’s shoulder. “That’s more like it.”  
  
  


Allison's car looked like it was at least twenty years old and being held together purely by stickers and sheer determination, but it's clear to Lydia that Allison loves it, if the way she patted the dashboard lovingly as she buckled her seat belt is anything to go by.

Lydia slid into the passenger seat and fastened her own seat belt before Allison can so much as look in her direction. There's a red glass wolf hanging from the rear view window that seems to light up the car when the light hits it and everything smells faintly of cigarettes and pine.

“Sorry about the mess.” Allison said, gesturing lamely to the few empty candy bar wrappers and coffee cups on the backseat. “It's not usually as bad as this.”

“It's not that bad.” Lydia laughed.

Allison hummed and reached forward to turn down her music.

“I never struck you a muscle car type.” Lydia said.

“It used to be Derek's, Cora didn't want it, she doesn’t want to drive, I was looking for a cheap ride and so…” She gestured around them. “Do you have a licence?”

“Yeah.” Lydia settled back into her seat, she waited for Allison to focus her attention on the road. “Just no car to drive in. Mom needs it more than I do.”

Before the divorce, she had heard her parents talking about the possibility of getting her a car for her birthday and well… That didn't work out.

“Yeah I feel that.” Allison replied.

Lydia shrugged. “It's a good thing that this is a small town?”

“I was thinking more that it's a good thing you're totally awesome friend will drive you literally anywhere because she loves driving?”

“Really? Who's that then?”

Allison looked over at her, pouting dramatically until Lydia laughed. She reached over to touch her hand to Allison's elbow.

“Thank you, Allison. I mean it.”

Allison grinned. “It's no problem, so long as you don't mind my music.”

Honestly, Lydia hadn't been paying much attention to the music, there didn't seem to be a clear theme to it though. One minute it was some angry guitar chords and the next it was some calm indie song.

“Hey so I've been meaning to ask…” Allison began and there are few ways to begin a sentence that could fill Lydia with more anxiety than a sentence like that. Before she could obsess over those seven words anymore, Allison continued to speak. “The Golden Compass, is it just one book?”

Lydia blinked. “Huh?”

“The Golden Compass, is it like one book or is it like… Standard YA trilogy style?”

“Oh.” Lydia relaxed into her seat and stared out of the front of the car. “Yeah, yeah there's three of them, why?”

Allison drummed her fingers against the steering wheel and made a thoughtful sound. “I was thinking of picking them up.”

She took a turn and Lydia realised they were only a minute or two from her house.

“You can borrow mine if you want?”

“Aren't you reading it?”

“I finished it.” Lydia replied. It was a lie, but she'd read it enough times that it wouldn't be a problem to stop. The only reason she'd started reading it in the first place was because she'd gotten distracted as Allison slept.

“As long as you don't mind?”

They came to a stop outside Lydia's house.

“It's no problem Allison,” she held up a finger. “Don't go anywhere.”

Allison mimicked crossing her heart. “I won't move a muscle.”

Lydia quickly got out of the car, letting herself into her house and up to her room and grabbing her book from its spot on the table beside her bed. She pulled out the bookmark and threw it to the side and grabbed the other two books from her shelf.

Allison was still drumming a beat onto her steering wheel when Lydia stepped out of the house, holding the book close to her chest as she crossed the lawn.

Allison smiled at her and wound down her window, pushing a hand through her hair and leaning one arm against the door.

“You better tell me your feelings about it.” Lydia said, holding the book out.

Allison took it from her carefully, in a swift movement, she placed it on the passenger seat and picked something up and held a jewel case towards Lydia.

“What's this?”

“Trade.”

Lydia took it from Allison, their fingers barely brushing. The CD inside is labelled ‘songs about trees (but not really)’. She frowns and looks up at Allison.

“Trust me, you're gonna love it.”  
  
 

Other than one Taylor Swift song, Lydia doesn't recognise a single song from the mix.

But she couldn’t stop playing it.

She listened to the whole thing as she finished the last of her unpacking.

She hummed along to one of the more upbeat songs as she made and ate dinner.

Despite the odd name, it made perfect sense. With every song that played it was hard not to imagine them playing as the backdrop to an adventure in the forest, darting between the trees as sunlight chases her. Walking hand in hand with a beloved and falling asleep at the edge of a lake as dragonflies dance across the surface.

She tried not to read too much into the fact that the person beside her in those thoughts were always Allison.

But of course it would be her, she gave Lydia the mix, the thoughts wouldn't even exist if not for her.

In a way, it made her feel braver. It makes her bring her laptop to the bed and log into Facebook for the first time in what feels like months.

Her settings were set to private, they have been since the days leading up to the start of summer break. She'd been making a point of avoiding her page for as long as possible, the things people were probably saying about her.

She saw posts from the girls she used to eat lunch with everyday. She didn't have to read them all to know they were mocking her.

They were just the ones who stood out the most, her page was full of comments, all making fun of her, calling her stupid. Lydia shook her head and turned the music up louder.

Those people were supposed to have been her friends. But Lydia had realised that they had been playing a long game, they never cared. They had only been friends with her for her money, her father's money.

Her boyfriend had only been with her as part of some fucked up bet. Sleeping with her friends behind her back for their entire relationship.

She deleted it all. Her entire account. There was nothing worth keeping. It would look weird, starting a new account and having nothing to show when she adds people.

But the longer she leaves it the worse it'll be.

Once her privacy settings were fixed and her friends list were clear, she found Allison, Danny and the rest of the group and added them as friends. 

Sometimes a fresh start is for the best.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say the next chapter will be tomorrow but... I just started Stranger Things...  
> Either way, have a safe day!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is having a safe weekend!

 

Lydia didn't expect to go to the Hale house so soon, but after a text and a subsequent ride from Danny, Lydia found herself in the middle of the preserve outside the most incredible house she had ever seen.

“I can't believe I never saw this house before.” Lydia said, even she could hear the awe in her own voice.

“Kinda makes you understand why they all chose to be home schooled until they got to high school.”

That was an understatement, she’d never want to leave.

“So, why are we here?” Lydia asked. Danny's text had been alarmingly vague.

“Everybody is back, Cora wants to watch movies and play drinking games.”

“What about her parents?”

Danny shrugged and leaned back against his car. “They're really chill about it. If we’re going to drink they'd prefer if we did it under their roof.”

Lydia looked from Danny to the front of the house, she wondered why they weren't going inside yet.

“I've been told to ask.” Danny began, lifting his head and meeting Lydia's gaze. “Are you at all interested in Aiden?”

Lydia frowned. “No. After the way he behaved at Scott’s…” She trailed off, they were talking about the brother of Danny's boyfriend after all.

“Fair.” Danny nodded. “He doesn't hang out with us on account of,” he made a sweeping gesture that Lydia can only assume refers to Aiden's general personality. “So I thought it was odd that he wanted to come to Scott's that day. Isaac pointed out that he probably wanted to hit on you.”

“I wasn't particularly fond of him after the side eye he was giving Allison at your party. _Any_ chance he thought he had was destroyed at Scott’s.”

Danny hummed. “I was hoping that he was coming out of a genuine interest, he's been a bit of a problem in the past.”

“What are you guys doing?!”

Lydia looked over to where Allison was walking up the driveway, she was wearing jeans and a grey hoodie, she'd left it unzipped and had rolled the sleeves up.

“Just talking.” Danny replied.

Allison nodded as she reached them, she bumped her shoulder against Danny's shoulder as she passed him and reached out to touch Lydia's elbow.

“Hey, you good?”

Lydia smiled. “Yeah, you?”

Allison beamed and bounced a little on the spot. “I'm awesome! Did you listen to the mix?”

“Mix?” Danny spoke up as Lydia nodded. “You gave her one of your mixes?”

“Songs about trees.” Allison said. “Did you like it?”

“It was amazing, Allison you have to give me the track list.”

“Good luck with that, you're lucky you got a mix with an actual name. The last one she gave me was just covered in stickers.” Danny said.

Allison pointed a finger at him. “You loved that mix! Don't even try to deny it!”

Danny held his hands up and the front door opened before he could reply, Cora stood in the doorway with Derek stood just behind her, he looked taller than in the pictures she'd seen on Facebook and Instagram.

“What are you losers doing? You've all been out here for like ten minutes.” Cora said, deadpan as ever.

“Discussing the brilliance of my music taste.” Allison replied, already moving past Lydia towards the two Hales. “Derek!” She all but pushed Cora aside and jumped at the boy, pulling him into a hug.

Cora rolled her eyes but didn’t seem surprised at Allison. “Hey to you too.” She looked at Lydia and Danny. “You two coming in or what?”

Lydia followed Danny and Cora into the house, trying not to linger on Allison and Derek as they eased from their hug. She hadn't seen Allison be so familiar with anybody else in the group. Even the kiss on Danny's head hadn’t seemed as affectionate as that hug.

The living room alone felt bigger than the entire ground floor of her home, Lydia was almost scared to explore out of fear of getting lost.

Boyd, Erica and Malia were already there. Malia seemed more preoccupied with organising the various bottles of booze onto the coffee table while Erica and Boyd were studying several sheets of paper.

“Lydia, that’s Derek.” Cora gestured to Derek as she moved to sit beside Erica. “He looks tough but he’s a massive dork.”  
  
Derek frowned at Cora but his expression had softened into a smile by the time he looked over at Lydia. “It’s good to meet you.”  
  
“You too.”  
  
“Where’s your mom?” Allison asked, pulling off her hoody and draping it over the back of the sofa.  
  
“Gardening.” Cora sighed. “Dad’s at the store, come help us figure out what movies to watch.”  
  
“We wrote off Les Mis.” Derek said. “Because one of the rules Cora came up with was ‘drink every time Russell Crowe looks uncomfortable.’ and that’s the easiest way to get alcohol poisoning.”  
  
Allison laughed and sat down between Derek and Lydia. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out, if we don’t we just have to wait for everyone else to get here so we can vote on it.”

  
  
Talia and Henry Hale were the coolest parents Lydia has ever met. Lydia had tried to call them Mr and Mrs Hale but neither of them would stand for it.  
  
When the rest of the group got there, they came to the decision to watch Independence Day, Scream, Top Gun and if enough people were up for it, Shrek 2.  
“I can’t drink too much, my mom will probably be pissed if i come home drunk.” Lydia said as Erica filled all of their cups.  
  
“You can crash at mine if you want.” Allison said, reaching past her to grab her cup.  
  
“I’m not drinking.” Derek added. “I can drive everyone home.”  
  
Lydia weighed her options, at least this way it meant that she could hang out for longer and staying with Allison would save making Derek drive out of his way to get her home.  
  
“Okay, yeah. That sounds good.” Lydia nodded.  
  
Allison beamed and bumped their cups together.  
  
“Okay, rules!” Cora clapped her hands together. “Drink every time somebody says ‘Mr President’...”  
  


By the time they got to Top Gun, they had stopped playing the drinking game, mostly because nobody could be bothered to keep enforcing the rules and once Lydia read the rules for Top Gun, she was pretty glad of it.

Scott was asleep, she figured he fell asleep at some point during Scream. Kira checked on him frequently and at some point she covered him with a blanket. It was cute and romantic up until the moment Cora drew a smiley face on his head with lipstick.

Danny, Isaac, Stiles and Malia were sat around the table, playing some variation of blackjack that involved using jelly beans as currency.

Allison, she found, was a bit of a cuddly drunk. Either that or she's just too lazy to move from where she's slumped against Lydia's side.

“How many times can they play danger zone?” Erica groaned. “Talk about overkill.”

“Erica that song is a classic. A work of art.” Allison said.

“It is a bit much.” Derek said from beside Allison.

“Oh!” Danny slammed his hand onto the coffee table, startling Scott awake and making Allison sit upright, Lydia tried not to feel the loss of heat too much.

“What's up?” Stiles frowned, grabbing a handful of jellybeans from the pile and eating them.

“You just ate half of the winnings.” Malia muttered under their breath.

“I realised that while we’re all out, most of us haven't actually told Lydia our romantic and sexual orientations.”

“Oh neat.” Erica smirked. “So this is the part where we go around in a circle and bond?”

“Only if you want to.”

“You don't have to!” Lydia cut in, she wasn't entirely sure how many of the words she said made sense, she thinks she might be slurring a bit. “I don't need to know.”

“Sounds like fun.” Isaac said instead. They pointed to themselves. “Demiromantic bisexual. Also genderfluid.”

“Yeah you are.” Malia grinned, high fiving them. “Agender, pansexual.”

Stiles laughed at Malia and Isaac before looking over at Lydia. “Aromantic pansexual.”

“Gay. As. Fuck.” Danny said, throwing his cards down in apparent defeat and joining Stiles in the jelly bean consumption.

Cora broke away from where she was making out with Erica to clear her throat. “Bi all around.”

“Likewise.” Boyd said.

“Samesies.” Erica winked. “I'm also trans.”

“Biromantic asexual.” Derek said with a shrug.

“Biromantic demisexual.” Allison held a hand up, her voice muffled heavily by Lydia’s shoulder.

“Pansexual.” Scott yawned, snuggling into Kira.

“Me too.” Kira smiled, ruffling Scott's hair.

Lydia nodded slowly, she wished she weren't as drunk for this conversation. It felt too serious to be numbed with Cora and Malia’s concoctions.

“Thank you, for telling me. All of you, it means a lot.”

Allison silently patted Lydia's knee.

“Oh and, uh, I'm bi.” Lydia added belatedly.

“Thank you for telling us.” Allison replied.

“You already knew.” Danny pointed out.

“Should've said thank you then, saying it now.” Allison shrugged. She tilted her head slightly to look up at Lydia. “Also I can't tell if it's your shampoo or perfume but you smell amazing.”

Lydia already felt too hot, first from the alcohol and then from being in close proximity with a lot of the group, but she felt her cheeks get impossibly hotter under Allison's gaze.

“Thanks, you too.”

A jellybean hit the side of Allison's head.

“Stop being gross.” Stiles said.

Allison pelted it back at him with scary precise accuracy. “ _You_ stop being gross.”

“Stop being children.” Erica groaned. “Look Allison, Danger Zone is playing.”  
  
Allison was already humming along, muttering the words under her breath as the rest of the group went back to their own activities. Lydia smiled and let herself get drawn into the movie and the conversations around her.

  
  
Derek came to a stop outside what Lydia assumed was Allison’s building, Allison seemed to be half asleep in the passenger seat. He’d already dropped off Danny, Scott and Kira, they were the last stop and Lydia was just thankful that she finally had space in the backseat.  
  
“Do you need help getting up there?” Derek asked, already moving to unfasten his seat belt.

Allison reached over and put her hand on Derek’s face. “Ssh, you can go home.”  
  
Derek frowned and pushed her hand away. “Do you even know where you live?”  
  
“In the building.”  
  
“Floor and apartment number?”  
  
Allison waved a hand and let herself out of the car. “Thank you Derek.”  
  
Derek twisted to look at Lydia. “Fourth floor, 72. If she doesn’t have her key there’s a spare in the plant by the elevator.”  
  
Lydia grabbed Allison’s hoodie from the passenger seat and gave Derek a thankful smile. “Thank you for driving us home.”  
  
“It’s no problem, it was good to finally meet you Lydia.”  
  
“Likewise, I can see why Allison likes you.”  
  
Derek raised an eyebrow. “I was going to say the same thing to you.”

Lydia cleared her throat and looked out to where Allison was opening the door to the building, she figured that made it clear that she had her key with her. “I better get going.”  
  
“Goodnight Lydia, have a good night.”  
  
“Thanks Derek.” Lydia replied, closing the car door and turning to make her way towards Allison.  
  
"You okay?" Allison asked.   
  
“You forgot this.” Lydia said, holding Allison’s hoody out towards her.  
  
Allison took it and draped it around Lydia’s shoulders. “It’s cold.”  
  
Lydia followed Allison into the building and towards the elevator, smiling as Allison missed the button on her first attempt. “Won’t your dad mind that you’re coming back at one in the morning? With someone else too?”  
  
The doors opened and Allison stepped inside, leaning against the farthest wall. Lydia leaned back against the wall opposite and hit the button for Allison’ floor.  
  
“He’s not in, he’s working nights this week. Stiles’ dad offered him a job at the station, he’s the deputy now. He wanted to get out more after mom died and…” She made a sweeping gesture. “Can’t blame him, it’s a cool job.”  
  
Lydia pulled the hoody closer around herself and they spent the rest of the elevator ride in silence, Allison had her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Despite Allison’s behaviour in the car, they’d both sobered up considerably since leaving the Hale house having both stopped drinking a couple of hours earlier. Allison’s eyeliner had smudged a little and she was watching Lydia. Lydia tried not to feel self conscious under the scrutiny and held Allison’s gaze.  
  
“Does your mom know that you’re staying over?” Allison asked. The doors opened and she stepped out, Lydia followed her down the hallway.  
  
“I sent her a text, but i don’t think she’ll mind.” Or care, she thought with more bitterness than she’d care to admit. Some of that bitterness must have found its way into her voice because as Allison unlocked the door she gave Lydia a long look.

Allison didn’t so much as turn on the lights than just wander through the apartment, there’s enough light from the windows so that Lydia won’t have to worry about walking into anything, but she can’t see the finer details of Allison’s home beyond the vague shapes that make up her living room furniture.  
  
It’s easier to see once they reach her room, instead of hitting the main lights she crouches down to hit a switch causing the fairy lights on the wall above her bed to cast the room into a soft light. Lydia could see pictures covering a portion of the wall and Allison’s desk was covered in CD’s, a set of rosary beads hanging precariously off of the edge.  
  
As Allison headed towards her closet, Lydia approached the wall to study the pictures. Most of them were polaroids and Allison was with somebody from the group in almost all of them. She got caught up looking at one picture that has Allison in a make-up chair, winking at the camera as one person applied grey make-up to her face and another was fixing what looked like a horn to her head.  
  
“Ever see the video for Emperor's new clothes?” Allison asked, coming up beside Lydia and holding some clothes in her arms. Lydia must frown at her because Allison laughed. “It’s a Panic! At the disco song. We did a reenactment of it for Danny. He needed to make a video for a class, we all got extra credit for it.”

“You sing?” Lydia asked. “And act?”  
  
“You seem surprised.” Allison replied, “But no, not really, Danny needed you don’t remember all those stories we’d act out as kids?”  
  
“I remember.” Lydia said, ducking her head from Allison’s gaze. “I’d draw the stories.”

Lydia could remember going through pages and pages of paper, so many crayons, determined to draw every story Allison would come up with. They’d sit under their tree at recess and figure out how the knight in their story would save the princess without hurting the dragon because it wasn’t the dragon’s fault.  
  
“I still have most of them. You were always the best artist.” Allison replied. She dumped the clothes in Lydia’s hands. “So you don’t have to sleep in your dress.” She took a step back and gestured towards the door. “Do you want some water or anything?”

Lydia was still thrown by Allison’s first statement but managed to shake her head. “I’m good.”  
  
Allison nodded. “Bathroom is through there, i think there’s a unopened toothbrush under the sink?”

“Thanks Allison.”  
  
Allison smiled and grabbed her own pyjamas from the bed before disappearing out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Lydia spent a few more moments studying the pictures before she went into the bathroom to change.  
  
True to her word, there was a toothbrush under the sink and by the time she had changed into the shorts and oversized flannel and left the bathroom, Allison was already lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Lydia sat down on the bed, unsure.

“I haven’t drawn in a long time.” Lydia said, regretting it almost instantly when Allison shifted to stare up at her. Her eyes look heavy with sleep but Lydia knows for a fact that every ounce of her attention is directed to her right now.  
  
“Why?” Allison asked softly.  
  
Lydia shrugged, drawing her knees up to her chest and looking straight ahead. There were so many reasons. With everything going on at school, with her friends and the life she presented around them, her home life falling apart around her… It was just…  
  
“Too much noise.” Lydia said.  
  
She felt the bed shift slightly as Allison moved, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, her hand wrapped gently around Lydia’s wrist and when Lydia turned her head to look down at Allison, she was met with a gaze so soft and understanding she thought that maybe Allison understood exactly what she meant, even if she didn’t have the context.

“You still have the drawings?” Lydia asked, remembering Allison’s words from earlier.  
  
“Every one that you gave to me or left here.” Allison nodded, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling.  
  
“...But why?” Lydia frowned.  
  
“Because you gave them to me.” Allison replied like it was the simplest thing in the world.  
  
Truthfully, Allison did seem like the type who would keep anything that was given to her, in the way that showed she was genuinely touched that someone would give her something.  
  
Even so, the thought made something in Lydia’s chest warm.  
  
Allison tugged gently on Lydia’s wrist. “Come on, little bird.” She whispered. “Get some sleep.”  
  
Lydia let herself be pulled down onto the bed until she was lying beside Allison, as soon as she did, she rolled her head to the side to look at her.  
  
“Little bird?”  
  
“Do you mind?”

Lydia didn’t really have to think about it. “No.”  
  
Allison smiled and closed her eyes.  


Long after Allison fell asleep, Lydia still couldn’t draw her focus away from where her hand was still wrapped around Lydia’s wrist.

  
When she woke, she was alone, the space beside her still had traces of warmth that suggested that Allison had only recently gotten up.  
  
Lydia spent a few minutes lying still, listening for distant sounds and admiring the way the sun lights up Allison’s room. In the daylight, it’s almost like a completely different place. Now, Lydia can see the guitar that rests in the corner, the plant beside the window and the ashtray that sits nearby. Kira did say that Allison was guilty of the occasional cigarette.  
  
The urge to go back to sleep still tugged persistently at Lydia. Allison’s bed was soft and smelled like citrus but the pain in her head made her push through, she definitely regretted not accepting a glass of water that Allison offered to her.

She changed back into her outfit from the night before, checking the time and groaning at just how early it is. Lydia was honestly surprised that they’re both awake and functioning with so little sleep.  
  
Or, apparently close to awake and functioning, it appears as she finds Allison sat on the counter, eyes closed and slowly eating a bowl of cereal. Her hair was piled up into a bun on top of her head and she looked about five seconds away from falling asleep right there.

“Good morning.”  
  
Lydia startled and looked over to where Allison’s father was sat in an armchair, reading a paper and sipping a mug of coffee.  
  
“He- um, morning?”  
  
Allison opened her eyes and set her bowl to one side. “Hey little bird.” She slid off of the counter. “Do you want some breakfast? Coffee?”  
  
A part of Lydia had thought that Allison might have forgotten the nickname she had given Lydia the night before, but upon hearing it again her heart fluttered a little.  
  
“I’m fine, thank you.” Lydia replied, she smiled at Allison before turning back to Chris. “It’s good to see you again, Mr Argent.”  
  
“Lydia. Call me Chris.” He said, folding the paper and setting it to the side. He looked a lot older than she would have thought, the bags under his eyes caused by more than simply working night shifts. The wedding ring on his finger is impossible to miss. “How are you?”  
  
“I’m fine.” Lydia replied.  
  
“Not hungover?” Allison asked quietly, coming up behind Lydia.  
  
“A little.” Lydia admitted. “You?”

Allison hummed, stepping back as Lydia turned around. “But i’ve been asked to cover a shift at the hospital later so.” She shrugged.

“You work too hard there.” Chris spoke up.  
  
“I said the exact same thing.” Lydia replied immediately.  
  
“You two should form a club.” Allison rolled her eyes. “But they’ve basically told me that i have a week's worth of time off that i need to take soon so i’m holding onto that for if and when we decide to go camping and stuff.”

“What’s the word with that, anyway?” Lydia asked.  
  
“As soon as everyone can hang out at the same time we’ll all sit down and figure out a plan, it’ll probably be in the next few days.”  
  
Lydia nodded and sighed. “I’d better head back home.”  
  
Allison pouted a little. “You sure? You can stay as long as you want.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s fine.”  
  
“Do you want me to walk you home?”  
  
Lydia smiled. “It’s fine, you need to get ready for work. Thanks for letting me stay and borrow something to sleep in.”  
  
“It’s no problem.” Allison replied, she took a hesitant step forward and lifted her arms slightly as though she was about to move in for a hug but wasn’t sure if Lydia would reciprocate. Lydia mimicked her and moved closer into Allison’s space so that Allison could wrap her arms around her.  
  
The hug only lasted for a few seconds but it was long enough for Lydia to notice the strength in Allison’s arms and the brief sound of her heartbeat against her ear. When they pulled apart, Allison was smiling.  
  
“I’ll see you later?”  
  
“Definitely.”  
  
  
As soon as Lydia got home, she dropped onto the bed without changing and almost immediately fell back asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will most likely be on Monday!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was everyone's monday?  
> There's a brief reference to Isaac's canonical abuse and Matt's obsession with Allison

 

If there was one thing that Lydia had learned about Cora, it’s that she was one of the most deadpan and blunt people in existence. It only made her stops at the coffee shop all the more entertaining because she got to watch people who don’t hang out with her try to navigate said bluntness.

Having that bluntness directed towards her, however, was mildly terrifying.  
  
“Didn’t sleep much, huh?” She said, setting Lydia’s coffee down in front of her. Lydia shrugged in favour of taking a sip of coffee. “Where’s Allison?”

Lydia checked the clock. “She should be at the hospital now.”  
  
Cora clicked her tongue. “Figures. Should’ve known when you came in alone.”  
  
Lydia shrugged again. “I got bored at home.”  
  
It wasn’t a lie, after she had woken up, eaten and showered, she had found herself with nothing to do whilst also feeling claustrophobic in her own home.

“So your first instinct was to come here?”  
  
Well, her first instinct was to go to the hospital and visit Allison but she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to.

“I figured someone might be here?” Lydia replied.This was the most common public setting they all hung out at afterall.  
  
Cora made a sound and glanced around quickly before dropping into the seat opposite Lydia. “This wasn’t your first choice!”  
  
Lydia’s cheeks heated up. “I-”  
  
Cora grinned and settled back in her seat. “You’re allowed to visit and Allison is allowed to take breaks. I hear she likes coffee.”  
  
Lydia thought back to Melissa’s words from the day she met them. “So i’ve been told.”

“Do you want me to make up her regular?”  
  
Lydia considered it for a moment. “Do you know if Derek and Melissa are on shift? And what their regulars are?”  
  
Cora’s grin just got bigger.  
  
  
  
“Lydia!” Melissa smiled, her gaze dropped to the drinks tray in her hands. “What’s this?”  
  
Lydia lifted the cup closest to her and held it out to the woman. “Iced caramel macchiato? Cora said that was your favourite.”  
  
Melissa groaned and accepted the drink gladly. “You are my new favourite. Don’t tell Scott. The others for Allison and Derek?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“I’ll go get them, they need to take a break anyway, just wait here.”

Lydia watched Melissa disappear through the doors and she set the tray of drinks down on the counter. A wall covered in photos caught her attention. Upon closer inspection, she realised that it was full of kids, all in various degrees of health, it didn’t take much for Lydia to realise that they were all seriously ill children but every single one of them wore a smile brighter than anything. In many of them, Allison, Derek or both of them were by their sides.  
  
It took her a few more moments than she would have liked to realise that statistically, half of the children in the pictures must be dead. It’s a morbid thought and she feels awful for even thinking it.

A soft hand touched her shoulder and Lydia knows immediately it’s Allison, her body relaxing into the touch even as she turned towards the girl. Lydia took in her outfit and pouts.  
  
“What?” Allison frowned.  
  
“Weirdly, i was expecting scrubs.”  
  
“Sorry to disappoint.”  
  
“You’re forgiven.” Lydia replied, seriously, there’s _nothing_ disappointing about tight fitting jeans and a button up shirt. “I brought you coffee.” She spotted Derek over Allison’s shoulder. “And green tea for you.”  
  
“Cora?”

“She said you were tense.”  
  
“Of course she did.” Derek sighed. “Thank you Lydia.”  
  
“Anytime.”

Derek looked between Allison and Lydia as he took his drink. “I actually have to call Laura, thanks again for the drink.”  
  
Lydia watched him move down the hall, pulling his phone from his pocket.  
  
“They’re not all depressing, you know.” Allison said.  
  
Lydia turned back to Allison, realising that her attention is fixed on the photos. “Huh?”  
  
Allison gestured towards the pictures with a nod of her head. “A lot of them end happily, they get better, they make a recovery and they go home to their families to live their futures. It’s… There’s always going to be the ones that don’t end like that…” Allison trailed off for a moment, her eyes lingering on the patients that must not have pulled through. “But the doctors and nurses do their best to give them a chance and we do what we can to make it less scary for them.”

Lydia was struck silent at Allison's words, to be in high school and be so familiar with loss and death is something Lydia can't comprehend, the fact that Allison has lost her mother and still deals with that loss constantly, all for the purpose of bringing comfort to these kids, to make their lives feel safer for them… It's admirable as hell.

It also made Allison feel about a million times too good for her.

“That's… That's inspiring.” Lydia replied. “You're inspiring.”

Allison ducked her head, laughing and reaching up to rub the back of her neck. “I- thank you.” She lifted her head and met Lydia's eye. “I just want to do good.”

“You're definitely doing good.” Lydia said. “Those kids are lucky to have you. You and Derek.”

Allison smiled and ducked her head again, but not before Lydia caught a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

“What are you gonna do for the rest of the day?” Allison asked.

“I don't know.” Lydia admitted.

It was conflicting, the more time Lydia spent with everyone, with Allison, the more she felt like she never wanted to leave them and yet simultaneously she felt like she didn't deserve their friendship. She wasn't the type of person that deserved to be with them.

“Lydia? Are you okay?”

Allison's voice was soft and it broke through the thoughts clouding Lydia's mind like the sun, her eyes were full of open concern and Lydia almost wanted to sigh.

“I'm fine.” Lydia smiled. “Sorry, I was just thinking about my options.” She cleared her throat and found herself unable to look Allison in the eye. “I'll probably head back home, you… You made me think about drawing again.”

At least that wasn't a lie.

Allison smiled. “Yeah? I'm glad!”

“I'm promising nothing.” Lydia said. “It could be awful, I could lose motivation as soon as I pick up a pencil-”

Allison cut her off by placing a hand on Lydia's arm, smiling fondly. “Just try, okay? Trust me on that.”

Lydia did trust Allison, she knew that without a doubt. She nodded.

“I'll try.”

 

* * *

  
  
“I’m really feeling a new dress.” Isaac said, twirling a curl of hair around their finger. “Something summery, you know?”  
  
“Teal is a good colour.” Lydia replied, pulling a dress from a rack and holding it up in front of Isaac. “It matches your eyes too.”  
  
Isaac seemed a little unsure, looking from Lydia to their reflection and then over to Boyd and Erica. They both nodded in appreciation.  
  
“Teal is definitely your colour.” Boyd said.  
  
“Holy shit your legs will look incredible in that.” Erica added. “We need shoes, flats or heels?”

“Heels?” Isaac suggested.  
  
Lydia grinned. “Okay, so we’ll find some heels, maybe a couple of accessories?”  
  
“Sounds like a plan.” Erica replied. “I need some new heels, something red.” She gave Lydia a quick once over. “What about you? Anything you want?”  
  
Lydia shrugged. “I kind of want a new dress too, i don’t know, whatever catches my eye I guess.”  
  
Erica studied her for a few moments and Lydia could see the gears turning in her mind, before she said anything, her gaze shifted to something over Lydia’s shoulder. “Come on, let's find you something to blow people's minds.”  
  
As she led Lydia and the others away, Lydia chanced a look over her own shoulder and saw a group of teens. Some were looking in their direction and Lydia frowned at them. She wasn’t going to bring it up, but she made a mental note to keep a better eye on their surroundings.  


Isaac brought it up as Erica is trying to convince Boyd to buy a new shirt. They’re holding their dress and watching the two interact.  
  
“People tend to stare occasionally.” They said easily, they didn’t even seem bothered about it.  
  
“Do they ever say anything?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Not really, don’t worry.” Isaac replied. “It’s never anything bad, they just want to ask questions you know? Even give advice when i can’t choose or i’m unsure. The majority of people here are really good.”  
  
“And those who aren’t good don’t say anything to our face.” Erica singsonged, walking towards Lydia and Isaac with Boyd beside her. Boyd was holding a shirt while Erica held a white dress peppered with small orange flowers. “They know they’d get their asses kicked if they tried anything. Here.” Erica pushed the dress into her hands. “This seems like your type.”  
  
Lydia stared at the dress in her hands. “What?”  
  
“Trust me.” Erica said, she patted the top of Lydia’s head. “It’s perfect.”  
  
“Perfect for what?”  
  
Erica grinned. “Oh sweet summer child, you’ll see.”  
  
Lydia felt mildly afraid.  
  
  
“What do you think?” Lydia asked, stepping out of the dressing room. Honestly, the second she put it on she knew that she had to have it.  
  
“Holy crap.” Erica said. “You need to buy it.”  
  
“You think?”  
  
“Lydia, it would be a crime if you don’t.” Isaac added. “Buy the dress.”

Lydia smiled at her friends and nodded. “Okay, yeah.”  
  
“Food court after this?” Boyd suggested. “I’m feeling a burger.”  
  
“Oh God, and onion rings!” Erica clapped her hands together.

“Give me five minutes to get changed.” Lydia replied.

  
The food court in the mall was good, but it lacked the homey feel that Andy’s diner had, but there was so many different options and it was fun to watch Isaac and Erica fooling around as Boyd watched on with a fond expression.  
  
She smiled as they took pictures for Instagram and sent snapchats to the rest of the group. It felt like a totally calm and relaxed day out with her friends.  
  
So it shouldn’t have been surprising to her when someone had to come up to her and ruin the moment while she was throwing away the rest of her lunch. The person who comes up to her has dark hair and scarily blue eyes, there’s a hazy memory in the back of her mind telling her that this is someone she knew once.  
  
“So it’s true. Lydia Martin is back and hanging around with a group of losers.”  
  
“Do I know you?” Lydia asked, keeping her voice as deliberately bored as possible. It was a tone of voice she used to use all the time back in LA and she hated how naturally it came back to her.  
  
“Matt. Daehler? We went to elementary school together.”  
  
Oh God, yeah. Lydia could remember Matt. Best friends with Jackson, equally as much as an asshole and a somewhat creepy obsession with Allison that she hoped stopped after she left.  
  
“Right.”  
  
“I saw you on Allison’s facebook, almost didn’t believe it was you.”  
  
That wasn’t encouraging in the slightest.  
  
“Yeah well.” Lydia shrugged. “I’m back.”  
  
“And out of everyone in this town you could hang out with, you choose them?” He leaned closer into her space. “You should hang out with me, i can show you some real parties.”  
  
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “I hang out with them because they’re my friends and I like them, what’s your excuse for being on Allison’s facebook if you think they’re all a bunch of losers?”

“Well Allison is an exception don’t you think?” And it’s right there in the quirk of his lips, how he looks so sly and Lydia just feels the urge to hit him, to make sure he never goes anywhere near Allison or her friends.

“I think that you should stay away from me and my friends.” Lydia replied.  
  
“Is that so?”  
  
“You heard her.” Boyd said, appearing at Lydia’s side and levelling a glare at Matt. “You should leave.”  
  
“Fine.” Matt took a step back. “I’ll see you around, Lydia.”  
  
“If he comes near me i’m going to break his nose.” Lydia said as soon as Matt had left them.

“Trust me, nobody will stop you. But Allison will probably get there first.”  
  
“Allison?”  
  
Boyd chuckled as they walked back to the table where Isaac and Erica were sat. “Allison can and will fuck anybody up, don’t let the dimples fool you.”  
  
“You okay?” Isaac asked.  
  
Lydia nodded.

A relieved look passed over Isaac’s expression. “Good, and it’s true about Allison. That’s basically how i met her.” They relaxed into their seat. “Greenberg and some of his lacrosse buddies were giving me hassle at a really bad time so i snapped and she just flew in out of nowhere and punched Greenberg in the face. We got to bond at the nurse's office and in detention.”  
  
“Which was where I met Isaac.” Erica spoke up.  
  
“You already knew Allison?” Lydia asked.  
  
“We’d met a about a month earlier, invited me to the group when she finally found me at school.” Erica nodded, but she didn't elaborate further on the matter. “Once their week's worth of detentions were done she invited Isaac to the group.”

“Allison really catches peoples attention, huh?” Lydia replied. It’s definitely a recurring theme, not that she can blame them. There is something magnetic about her and that feeling stretches out to the rest of the group.  
“You could say that.” Erica smirked, she kicked Lydia gently under the table. “Come on, I still need to find some new nail polish. I want to paint everyone's nails when we get to Cora’s.”  
  
“We’re going to Cora’s?” Lydia asked.  
  
“We are now.”  
  
  


Lydia probably should have realised that the reason behind the spontaneous trip to the Hale house had something to do with her encounter with Matt. In hindsight it was probably glaringly obvious.  
  
From what Boyd, Erica and Isaac had told her, Matt and his friends were people who had a history of giving the group hassle before they’d all become their group, and even though it hadn’t been brought up, Matt clearly hadn’t outgrown his crush on Allison.  
  
But still, it wasn’t until they’d gotten out of the car and began to walk towards the front door and Allison came out, concern and something resembling anger in every line of her face did Lydia realise how protective Allison was.

“Are you okay?” She asked, she brushed her hand over Lydia’s arm, pulling it away as quickly as it came. “Did he say anything? Do anything?”  
  
“I’m fine, Allison.” Lydia replied, she watched Allison’s hands shake for a brief second before they curled into fists and dropped at her sides. “He asked me why i was hanging out with you all, said i should hang out with him so i could go to some ‘real parties’. I told him to stay away from me and all of you and then Boyd showed up.” Lydia racked her brain for more. “He said he saw me on your facebook.”  
  
Allison stared at Lydia for a moment, several different expressions flashing through her eyes at once.  
  
“If he ever- if _anyone_ ever says or does anything to make you feel unsafe. Or threatened. In _any_ way, call one of us, okay? I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself but- just-”  
  
She looked pained, but most of all she looked angry and concerned. Lydia wanted to step forward and comfort her but faltered when Isaac beat her to it, moving past Lydia, Boyd and Erica to place their hand on Allison’s back. The gesture made Allison’s eyes fall closed and Lydia watched as her jaw tensed. The moment seemed to hang for so long until Allison’s eyes opened, immediately looking a little more relaxed.

Isaac gave Lydia a brief yet pointed look that was enough to make her spur into action, moving forward and touching her hand to Allison’s arm.  
  
“I promise.”  
  
Allison’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, there was still something there, something tired and sad and Lydia didn’t know what to do to make it go away.

A lot of words seemed to be exchanged silently between the others as Allison and Lydia stared at each other.  
  
“Hey Lydia, let's show Cora our new stuff.” Erica said, tugging on Lydia’s arm. “Maybe you can help convince Derek to let me paint his nails.”  
  
“Okay.” Lydia agreed softly, giving Allison another look and a gentle squeeze of her arm before following Erica and Boyd into the house and leaving Allison and Isaac alone outside.  
  
  
Another fact that became painfully obvious with this group of teenagers was that they're all so familiar with each other that every space they occupy immediately became horribly domestic.

The house smelled faintly of cinnamon from Talia, Stiles and Kira were apparently baking cookies. Scott was in the middle of texting Danny, no doubt updating him on the current scenario. Derek was hovering by the bookcase closest to the window in a gesture that makes her think that he's keeping an eye on the situation outside while Scott and Cora were now talking with Boyd and Erica as they pull clothes from the bags in their hands and there's a blanket hanging off of the sofa with a pillow at one end.

They all fit seamlessly together but Lydia can't stop thinking about the two people outside.

Erica though, was willing to make her try.

Collectively, they managed to show the current group most of what they've brought, given them a more detailed explanation about Lydia's encounter with Matt, try to get cookies before they're done and paint Lydia's, Erica’s and halfway through Scott's nails before she found her attention drawn back to the front door as though simply staring at it would be enough to convince Allison and Isaac to come back.

It must become clear, because when Talia comes out with Stiles and Kira, they're armed with enough cookies to feed a small army and mugs of tea (it turns out that Talia was a strong believer in tea) there's a separate, smaller tray with three mugs and a few cookies.

“Maybe you should see if they need anything?” Talia suggested.

Lydia hesitated for a moment, her gaze involuntarily drifting over to Derek. Lydia can't help but get the impression that this is something that has happened before, in which case it would probably be him who would go out to them. Anybody in the room would probably be more equipped to do this.

Cora gave her a slight nudge with her foot and Lydia nodded, moving to slip her feet back into her heels, only pausing briefly to wonder if her nails had even completely dried yet.

“I'll get the door.” Derek said.

Lydia nodded but kept her attention focused on lifting the tray. The last thing she wanted to risk doing was spilling or breaking anything.

The conversation around her picked up again, Erica pulling Kira down and giving her a choice of nailpolishes to choose from.

For what felt like the first time in days, the sun is hidden by clouds and there is a slight breeze. Immediately, Lydia spots Allison and Isaac, both sat together on top of Allison’s car, Isaac has their legs hanging off the side while Allison is practically stretched out on the roof, gaze fixed on the sky. Lydia can see the cigarette that they’re passing between each other.  
  
She walks over slowly, clutching the tray in her hands and it’s Isaac who spots her first, eyes lighting up when they spot the cookies.  
  
“Hey Lydia.” They greet. “Who made cookies?”  
  
“Talia, Stiles and Kira. There’s more inside.” She hesitated. “Are you both okay?”  
  
Allison sat up and passed Isaac the cigarette. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I… Needed air.”  
  
Isaac looked at Allison and after a moment they both nodded. Isaac slid off of the car and let out a quiet sound when they hit the ground. They came up to Lydia and took the mug closest to them.  
  
“The idea of people Allison cares about getting hurt and her not being able to do anything bothers her. A lot. I… Had some stuff happening at home and it was thanks to everyone that I’m out of that now but Allison still beats herself up for it. For not noticing sooner and everything.” They shrugged. “She just wants to protect people.” They added quietly.

Lydia nodded and Isaac smiled at her before grabbing a cookie and stuffing it into their mouth and moving past her and into the house.  
  
“Matt is a creep.” Allison said, she patted the space beside her, silently inviting Lydia to sit with her.  
  
“He is.” Lydia agreed. “I think he has a crush on you? And uh-” She looked down at her heels. “I don’t think i can get up there.”

“Oh, right.” Allison slid down until she was sat on the hood and took the tray from Lydia, setting it aside and offering her hand to help Lydia up. “I don’t think it’s a crush. The things he’s said to me or about me and my friends doesn’t imply he likes me as a person. Just my face and body. He doesn’t even _do_ anything that often now. Unless he’s got his little group to back him up.”

Lydia watched Allison grab a mug and take a sip, grimacing when she realised it was still too hot. Lydia took the last mug and held it, feeling the heat seep through her palms and the warmth of Allison against her side.  
  
“Do they try to hurt you?” Lydia asked. “Any of you?”  
  
“Not anymore, we all hang out together and bullies aren’t going to target that. They prefer loners that can’t fight back.” Allison replied. “I only got hurt from stepping in. I was never the target of violence.”  
  
“You always step in?”  
  
“If I see something happening. Yeah.” Allison took a tentative sip of her drink. “Or i do what i can to keep someone safe and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”  
  
Lydia watched Allison set her mug down between them and break a cookie into two, halfheartedly taking a bite.  
  
“But why? Why would you put yourself in harms way?” Lydia asked.

Allison smiled, more to herself than anything. “Because I think about how it would feel to be in that other person's position. To be alone and scared and hurt, unable to protect themselves.” She shrugged. “If i were being attacked, chances are, i would want somebody to step in to help me and stop it. I’m in a position where i know how to protect myself and so-”  
  
“You protect those who can’t protect themselves.” Lydia finished.  
  
Allison’s smile grew. “Exactly.”

Lydia looked away and down into her drink and couldn't help but think back to all of the times she'd seen something happen at school. Freshmen getting shoved into lockers, people made fun of for what they wore and more insults being thrown around than she could bear and how much of the time, her friends would be part of those acts and how she never had the guts to speak up against them.

Allison wouldn't have let it happen. Allison probably would have said something, she would have gotten into so many fights to protect those other students no matter what the fallout for her may have been.

“Don't you get scared that you'll get hurt?”

Allison shrugged. “If you go into something like that you know that there's a chance that it'll happen.” She looked down at her hands. “But cuts and bruises heal.”

Lydia found herself looking at Allison's hands too, she couldn't see anything but there must have been something to hold Allison's attention.

“Allison-” Lydia paused, she didn't know what she had been planning to say and there was nothing she could think of to fill the gap. She didn’t want to tell Allison to be careful and it was hardly like she could offer to protect Allison because she lacked that spark of bravery that Allison seemed to be the embodiment of.  
  
Allison smiled at her and wrapped an arm around Lydia’s shoulder to pull her into a hug, Lydia went willingly, letting her head drop to Allison’s shoulder.  
  
“I know.” Allison replied. “It’s okay little bird.” she stifled a yawn with her other hand and Lydia suddenly thought back to the blanket and pillow on the sofa.  
  
“You were sleeping.” She said. “Before we got here.”  
  
Allison laughed quietly. “Yeah. Work wiped me out and this place is closer.”  
  
“I’m sorry i woke you.”  
  
Allison hugged her a little closer. “ _You_ didn’t wake me, Lydia. I woke up before we heard about what happened, it’s okay.”  
  
Lydia didn’t feel too reassured as she eased out of Allison’s hold and off of the car. “At least come inside? You can probably get some more sleep then. But I should warn you that Erica is on a quest to paint everyone’s nails.”

Allison laughed. “Sounds good.”  
  
  
When they made it inside and sat down, Allison attempted to lie on the sofa without disturbing Lydia and it took (almost) no hesitation for her to pull the girls head into her lap, only smiling and nodding when Allison asked if she was sure. Derek took the seat at the other end of the sofa and let Allison drape her legs over his own.

Erica wasted no time in pulling of Allison’s shoes and painting them a shade of green that made Lydia think of the forest.  
  
Cora had put on a movie for them to watch that Lydia had missed the name of.  
  
“I want to go swimming.” Allison said suddenly, opening her eyes and looking up at Lydia. “Not, not right now, but like, soon.”

“Does Beacon Hills even have somewhere to go swimming?” Lydia asked, she shifted and let her arm rest beside Allison’s head, wondering briefly if Allison was the type to enjoy having someone stroke their hair (she was almost willing to bet that she was)  
  
“Other than the pool in school or the lake? No.”  
  
“And while the lake may be pretty to look at i don’t think it’s good for swimming in.” Erica added, patting Allison on the calf. “Don’t move for a while, that’s going to take some time to dry.”

Allison sighed and closed her eyes again rolling her head until it brushed against Lydia’s hand. She let out another hum.  
  
“We could always add the beach to our list of things to do.” Derek suggested. “It could be a good day out.”  
  
“L.A could be fun too.” Erica said. “Derek, take off your shoes.”  
  
Lydia tensed, enough for Allison to notice because she opened her eyes and stared up at her for a few moments. Realistically, the odds of them seeing _anybody_ she used to go to school with is unlikely. If you go to L.A, you’re going to go to see the sights, not some pretentious neighbourhood where she went to school. But the prospect of such a thing sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine.  
  
“Why am i taking my shoes off?” Derek asked. “We’ll see about L.A, it's pretty expensive.”

“So I can paint your nails.” Erica replied.

Allison lifted her hand to tap Lydia's wrist, her expression clearly asking if she's okay. Lydia smiled at her and tapped her fingers against Allison's hair, letting them slide into her curls and brush against her scalp. Allison let out a pleased hum and closed her eyes again so Lydia left her hand where it was.

“Fine.” Derek huffed. “But I want red.”

Erica held up two different bottles, one was a similar shade to her lipstick and the other was considerably darker. Derek nodded to that one.

“You're going to have to take my shoes off.” He said. “I can't exactly move now.”

Erica frowned. “Allison can you-” she cut herself off as she looked over at Allison and Lydia. “Oh.”

Lydia looked down, surprised to find Allison asleep, it only felt like a few minutes had passed. She knew Allison was skilled at sleeping anywhere but even this had to be impressive.

Erica’s smirk showed that she agreed.

“Ugh, now I really want to go swimming.” Malia groaned, flopping down dramatically to lie beside Stiles.

“Same.” Stiles mumbled, patting their head affectionately.

Lydia smiled and rested her head against the sofa. With the combination of the events of the day and the tea and cookies and Allison lying on her, Lydia herself feels tired. Nobody would think twice if she did, either.  
  
So Lydia closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sounds of her friends laughing and talking around her, the smell of freshly baked cookies and the warmth of Allison against her, it seemed to help the anxiety she felt settle into a quiet background noise that she could confront another day.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update should be on Wednesday or Thursday, stay safe!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P much this entire chapter was one of my favourite things to write tbh

 

Lydia sighed at the contents of the fridge. Her options were limited to a lone apple and a half eaten box of Chinese food. She couldn't remember when her mom last went grocery shopping.

Or when she last saw her mom properly, for that matter.

She wasn't surprised, in L.A, she could go for at least a week without crossing paths with her parents. Both always on business trips or golf trips or spa days or whatever else they decided to throw their money at.  
  
Now, Lydia didn't know where her mother was or what she was doing. Just that they hardly seemed to cross paths.

Lydia sighed to herself and grabbed the box of Chinese food and a fork from the drawer. It was late and she really couldn't be bothered to try and find something more to substantial.

When she returned to her room, the CD she had been playing had finished and looped to the beginning once more. It was another one of Allison's mixes, she had a stack of them now, all taking up their own space in a stack on her desk.

None of the playlists made sense on the outside, but as soon as she listened to them it became almost like an inside joke, something that only the two of them could understand and it made everything feel special.

To be able to have a soundtrack for when you want to feel like you're drifting through a dream is a wonderful thing, to know that that playlist only exists between two people only makes it more so.  
  
Though Lydia did wonder why Allison was so obsessed with making them.

She took the current CD out, it hadn't had a name, instead only having a drawing of a moon. It was a good summary.

As she ate, Lydia clicked her way through random youtube videos to distract herself.

Lydia had been about to click on the next video in the playlist when her phone vibrated on her desk.

  
From: Allison, 11:05pm _  
_ What are you doing rn?

_To: Allison, 11:05pm  
_ _Eating and YouTube, you?_

_From: Allison, 11:07pm  
_ _Nothing, Stiles has a plan. Wanna go out?_

Lydia frowned at her phone, she may not have hung out with Stiles for the same amount of time as everyone else, but even she knew that Stiles and plans should be met with hesitation.

_To: Allison, 11:10pm  
_ _Where and when?_

_From: Allison, 11:12pm  
_ _He’s picking me up soon, we’ll be at yours by 11:30_

_From: Allison, 11:12pm  
_ _Oh, dress for moving_

_From: Allison, 11:13pm  
_ _And a bathing suit_

_To: Allison, 11:14pm  
_ _Bathing suit?_

_To: Allison, 11:14pm  
_ _Allison??_

_From: Allison, 11:15pm  
_ _Trust me, little bird :)_

Lydia dropped her phone back on her desk and groaned. Little bird, Allison was the only one who called it her. She wasn't sure if the others knew about it but if they did, they never called it her. It was like it was only Allison who had the right to call her that. Honestly it would sound weird to hear it from anyone else.

Her current issue was finding an outfit for ‘moving’. She had fifteen minutes to figure it out.

 

The sound of something hitting her window caught her attention almost twenty minutes later, Lydia grabbed her phone from her desk and went over to inspect it, upon pulling back her curtain she could see Stiles’ jeep and stood underneath her window was Allison, who waved up at her happily.

Lydia held up a finger and closed her curtains and switched off all of the lights as she made her way to the front door where Allison was there to meet her.

“Hey,” she greeted. “You look great!”

Lydia glanced down at her outfit, just dark jeans and a t-shirt she hadn't even known she had owned paired with the denim jacket that was actually Allison's.

Allison was dressed similar, though she'd gone without a jacket. 

“Thanks, you too.” Lydia replied. “What was the deal with the window?”

Allison shrugged, ducking her head and kicking at a pebble. “I wanted to let you know we were here.”

“Most people text.” Lydia replied teasingly, nudging Allison with her elbow. “Don't worry, it was cute.”

Allison laughed. “Oh good, I'm glad.”

“So where are we going?” Lydia asked as she locked the door.

“How do you feel about some lowkey trespassing?”

Lydia frowned at Allison as they began to walk towards the jeep. “We’re breaking into the school aren't we?”

“Yep.”

“What are the odds we’ll get caught?”

“Like, less than forty percent?”

“Okay.” Lydia nodded. “I'm in.”

“Are you sure?” Allison asked. “You don't have to.”

“I'm sure.” Lydia laughed. “It'll be fun.”

Allison linked her arm through Lydia's. “That's the plan.”

When they reached the jeep, Allison opened the door so that Lydia could climb in first.

“Hey hey!” Stiles greeted. “Ready to start your life of crime?”

“Oh yeah I'm thrilled.” Lydia drawled. “Hey Malia.”

“What's up.” They nodded.

“Is it just us?” Lydia asked.

“Nah.” Allison replied, not looking up from her phone as she texted. “Everybody except Derek and Danny.”

“Derek doesn't want to be a criminal and Danny is with his boyfriend.” Stiles explained.

“Cute.”

“Super cute.” Allison shifted closer to bang her hands against the back of Stiles’ seat. “Now come on! Drive!”

“So impatient.” Stiles murmured.

 

“I can't believe I'm doing this.” Lydia whispered.

“Never thought you'd be crawling through an air vent?” Kira asked from in front of her.

“Can't say I have.” Lydia replied. “Does Stiles know where he's going?”

Kira is silent for a few moments, in front of her she can hear the chatter of the rest of the group, Allison is somewhere behind her, though she's been silent for the entire time.

She had thought they were kidding when Boyd and Scott had helped Stiles up into the vent and a small part of her had seriously considered just walking away but the temptation had gotten to her.

Besides, it would be Stiles who had to deal with any rats, not her.

She just wished they could have used the door.

Stiles’ triumphant laugh echoed through the vent and it was immediately followed by the loud sound of something opening.

By the time Lydia reached the exit, there's enough space for Allison to come up beside her.

“I'll be glad to get out of here.” Allison groaned. “I could barely hear a thing.”

Lydia stared down at the drop, it was a lot more than she originally thought, she could hear everyone just out of her sight talking excitedly.

“You okay?” Allison asked.

“Yeah, I just-” she gestured to the drop.

Allison nodded. “Do you want me to go first? I can catch you.”

Lydia hesitated, Allison reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She'd come too far to back out now.

“Okay.”

Allison squeezed her hand again and Lydia moved to make space for her. Allison draped her legs through the space and eased herself out, catching the ledge to steady herself before dropping with a solid thud.

It took a moment for her to straighten up and turn to look up at Lydia.

“Whenever you're ready.” She said.

Lydia took a deep breath to steady herself before following Allison's example. As she hung from the ledge, she began to regret the entire thing.

“Just let go Lyds.” Allison said. “I've got you.”

Lydia could hear the _‘trust me’_ in Allison's voice and it was enough to make her let go.

Allison caught her easily, softening her fall and steadying her when her feet hit the ground.

Allison laughed as Lydia looked up at her, slowly releasing the iron grip she had on Allison's arms.

“Good job little bird.”

Lydia ducked her head, feeling the familiar blush rising to her cheeks.

“Are you two done?” Erica called. “Some of us want to go swimming this year.”

Allison laughed again. “Ready for a quick tour of the school?” She asked, offering her hand towards Lydia.

Lydia smiled at her hand before taking it and rolling her eyes dramatically. “Lead the way.”

By the time they reached the pool, everybody else was already in, they'd left the main lights off, instead, someone had found the lights for the pool itself, casting the entire room in an almost neon blue glow.

“Holy shit.” Allison breathed.

“Yeah.” Lydia agreed.

Allison bumped their shoulders together. “We probably shouldn't keep them waiting, Erica will definitely push someone in if they're not paying attention.”

Everyone had clearly all stripped right there if the piles of clothes were anything to go by, though that most likely meant that nobody had the foresight to bring towels or anything else with them, which, okay a little worrying. Though Lydia hadn't done so either so she could hardly judge.

Which meant Allison also chose to strip right there, Lydia was thankful that nobody was paying her any attention, she knows she would've felt embarrassed if they were.

She was about to jump into the pool when Allison turned around and for the first time since she's moved back, Lydia got to see the wonder that was Allison's abs.

It was enough to make her lose track of her footing and fall into the pool, something that was _not_ missed. By anyone.

There was another splash nearby as Lydia surfaced and by the time she had wiped her hair from her face, Allison was in front of her looking as though she wanted to laugh but was holding back out of concern.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I'm fine. You can laugh.” Lydia pouted, brushing her hair from her face and apparently that was all it took for Allison to throw her head back and laugh.

“I'm sorry!” She swam forward to hug Lydia. “I shouldn't laugh.”

“I would have laughed if it happened to you.” Lydia admitted, wrapping one arm around Allison’s neck to hug her back and using the other to keep herself afloat.

“That's encouraging.” Allison nodded, swimming back. “Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I have to go and scare the shit out of Scott.”

“Have fun.” Lydia called after her.

“That was quite the spill you took there.” Erica grinned as she, Boyd and Cora swam up to her.  

“It's dark.” Lydia defended.

“Sure.” Cora said, nodding slowly until she splashed Lydia.

Lydia gasped and splashed her back.

“Let the war begin!” Erica exclaimed as she tackled Cora.

Lydia was exhausted, everybody else seemed to have tired themselves out too, most were sitting on the ledge, dangling their legs in the water as they talked. Boyd, Erica, Cora and Isaac were still wrestling towards the shallower end, Erica balanced on Boyd’s shoulders while Isaac was balanced on Cora’s.

Lydia found herself floating on her back, watching the ripples of the pool reflect on the ceiling, it distantly reminded her of the northern lights. She almost didn't notice Allison until she was floating beside her.

“It's beautiful, right?” Allison asked quietly.

“Makes you wonder if anyone else has done this.” Lydia replied.

“Considering how scarily easy it is to break into the place, I'd say it's definitely happened before.” Allison laughed. “But while I appreciate the perks of a heated pool, I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to do this in the lake. To float and watch the stars.” She sighed softly to herself. “I think that's what heaven is like.”

Allison has a fascination with the sky, that much Lydia knew. But now she wondered how far that fascination stretched, if Allison can point out the stars to her, hold her hand and guide her to help her trace the patterns in the sky.

“Do you believe in heaven?” Lydia asked.

Allison was silent for a long time, hands moving slowly at her side to keep her afloat.

“I don't know.” She admitted with a sigh. “I… I mean I was brought up to. I'm- was a catholic.” She frowned. “It's complicated.”  
  
Well, that definitely explained the rosary beads.

“But… I think it's human nature to want to believe in something?” Allison continued. “Because that sudden ending is just too scary otherwise, for it all to just… Stop. The thought of drifting away into nothingness and being alone and disconnected from your body and everything you cared about…” She trailed off, an uncertain frown on her face.

“I don't know what I believe.” Lydia said. “I don't believe in a God, but… It's scary to think that nothing follows death. It's just like you said.”

Lydia glanced at the girl, she was still staring up at the ceiling a thoughtful expression on her face. She wished she’d never brought up death, Allison was probably thinking about her mother.

Lydia cleared her throat. “Did you know that otters hold hands when they go to sleep so that they don't drift away?”

Allison turned her head to look at Lydia, gaping and then grimacing when she got a mouth full of water.

“No way.”

Lydia nodded. “Seriously.”

“That's so cool.” Allison replied. She smiled and looked back at the ceiling. “And nice. They don't have to be afraid of being alone.”

Lydia watched Allison for a few seconds before she made her mind, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. She watched Allison glance down at their hands before looking at Lydia.

“Neither do we.” Lydia replied, at least she dared to hope so, she wondered if Allison could hear the uncertainty in her voice. “Right?”

Allison smiled, soft and reassuring. “Right.”  
  


“Well, as much fun as that was, I really wish one of us had thought to bring towels.” Allison said, frowning to herself as she plucked at her t-shirt.

“And underwear.” Scott added glumly.  
  
“Derek wouldn’t have stood for this.” Isaac said.  
  
Malia snorted. “Derek would have brought towels and snacks and would tell us not to run around the pool.”  
  
“You really shouldn’t run next to the pool.” Lydia replied.

“But the point is, we had fun.” Stiles said pointedly. “And I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to go break into Harris’ desk.”

“Oh God,” Scott muttered. “can we try and keep the criminal activity down to a minimum?”

The group walked down the hallway, Lydia regretted not bringing a hair tie, it felt uncomfortable to have it hanging against her back and slowly soaking through her (Allison's) jacket and shirt and making her feel colder. Allison seemed to be shivering beside her, Scott and Kira were cuddling off to one side and-

“Isaac!” Malia called. “Is that a cigarette?”

As Isaac turned around, lighter in one hand and cigarette in the other, Lydia barely had time to hear Allison's muttered _‘Oh shit’_ before a smoke alarm began to blare, sprinklers immediately switching on.

Lydia made a sound that bordered embarrassingly on a shriek at the sudden cold.

“Isaac!” Erica yelled.

“What kind of fucking weak ass alarms-” Malia began, their words getting lost in the collective yells of the group.

“We need to get out, now!” Stiles shouted. “The fire department will come to check it out, dad too.”

“What?” Allison looked between everyone.

Stiles signed something. “Run!” He yelled again. He started to move, almost slipping on the soaked floor.

“Oh shit.” She grabbed Lydia's arm, for her own benefit or Lydia's, she didn't know but she was thankful nonetheless.  
  
“It was just a cigarette!” Isaac yelled, sprinting after Stiles.

They clung to each other's arms as they followed the rest of the group. Lydia could hear the sirens in the distance and God, if they get caught what were the odds that Lydia got kicked out from a school she didn't  _technically_ go to yet?

“We’re nearly there.” Lydia said, she recognised a notice board warning against the dangers of smoking. Oh sweet irony.

Allison looked at her quickly, confusion written all over her face. Lydia used her free hand to point up at the ceiling just as the vent came into view.

“Oh thank fuck.” Allison said. “I'm just glad we parked the cars a couple blocks away.”

Lydia could sure as hell agree with that.

Getting back into the vent would have been difficult under regular circumstances, throw in the sprinklers and general panic everybody is feeling, the task became considerably harder.

Boyd had already climbed up and as Scott gave people a boost, he would pull them up to safety.

Once Scott was up, Allison braced herself to help Lydia up. Lydia froze as she heard the slam of doors in the distance.

She grabbed Allison's arm and pulled. “Allison, Alli listen!”

Allison's expression only grew more confused until she looked past Lydia and the expression shifted to something more alarmed. Lydia looked over her shoulder and saw lights approaching.

“Oh fuck.” Allison said, grabbing Lydia's arm as she looked up at Scott. “We’ll catch up.”

“Allison!” Scott called.

“We’ll be fine!” Lydia replied.   
  
Well, hopefully. Allison seemed to know what she was doing at least.

They moved down the hall, Lydia looking over her shoulder every couple of seconds as Allison checked doors.

She threw open a door and pulled Lydia inside just as Lydia heard a voice come around the corner.

Allison cursed to herself as they both stumbled and tripped over mops and various other equipment. It seemed to be some kind of storage closet, broken chairs stacked up to one side. Allison heads straight for there, twisting to press her back to the wall.

Lydia dove towards her as she heard the door open, Allison barely managed to catch and steady her as a fireman opened to door.

Lydia tried to move further back into the shadows to avoid the light from his flashlight, her elbow dug into soft flesh and she felt Allison suck in a quiet breath and shift behind her. They were so close that Lydia could feel her heartbeat against her spine.

Lydia heard a walkie talkie come to life and the light dropped a little.

_“No sign of any fire, seems like a false alarm.”_

“Keep checking.” The fireman said. “We need to make sure.”

_“Copy that. Over.”_

Lydia held her breath as the door closed, casting them in darkness. Barely a second passed before she ducked her head to laugh.

“That was-”

The door opened again and Allison's hand quickly came up to cover Lydia's mouth, the shock of the touch making Lydia bump her head against Allison's chin. Neither of them moved as a flashlight was shone again until the door closed once more.

Lydia listened carefully for the footsteps to disappear before she laughed again, more out of nervousness now that Allison's fingers were touching her lips.

She turned slowly to face Allison and Allison dropped her hand.

“Come on.” Allison said. “May as well go out the back door now. The front will probably have people watching.”  
  


After Allison successfully sneaked them out of the back exit of the school and walked them over the lacrosse field and into the preserve, she sent a text to Malia.

“Okay, they’re going to pick us up at the back of the pizza place, Stiles doesn’t want to risk his dad seeing the jeep near the school. I also think they just genuinely want pizza.” She shivered and switched her phone’s flashlight on. “It’s a bit of a walk, are you okay with that?”

“I’m not the one shivering in a t-shirt.” Lydia pointed out. "Do you want your jacket back?"  
  
“I’m fine.” Allison replied with a soft laugh. “Are you?”  
  
Lydia nodded. “Sure, should we start walking?”  
  
Allison hummed and jumped over a fallen branch. Lydia quickly fell into step with her, surprised at just how easy it was for the other girl to navigate through the trees. She didn’t seem scared at all about their scenario, she just shivered every now and again whilst she tried to hide it from Lydia.  
  
Despite the cold, Lydia was still riding the adrenaline rush from everything that had happened. Playing the events over in her mind until the memory of Allison’s confused expression and Stiles signing her came to the surface.  
  
“Hey, Allison?”

Allison hummed, her attention more focused on trying not to trip over a branch.  
  
“Can you teach me some ASL?”  
  
Allison looked up suddenly. “Seriously?”  
  
Lydia nodded. “Seriously.”  
  
“Why?”

Lydia shrugged. “It doesn’t feel right that i don’t know any. It’s not fair on you.”  
  
“It’s not as though I use it a lot, Lyds. You don't have to learn it for my sake and…” She trailed off, giving Lydia a long look. “What?”

Lydia realised she was staring and shook her thoughts free. “Nothing, you just, you called me Lyds.”

Allison's lips curled up into a smirk. “Yeah well, you called me Alli.”

She _had._ She'd almost forgotten with everything going on around them. She hadn't expected Allison to remember too, she wasn’t even sure Allison had heard her.

Lydia ducked her head to laugh. She could feel Allison's eyes on her.

“But still.” Lydia began, lifting her head to meet Allison's gaze. “I want to learn.”

“I just don't want you to waste your time on me.” Allison shrugged.

Lydia almost wanted to laugh, the thought that any time spent on Allison could be considered a waste was definitely laughable. The more time she spent with Allison, the more Lydia believed that one day she could let go of the things she'd done in the past. Truthfully, any time spent on Allison was a gift as far as Lydia was concerned.

“I'm not wasting time.” Lydia replied. “I get to hang out with my best friend and learn something new that can benefit us all. As far as I'm concerned, it's a win win.”

Allison didn't reply. Not for a few few seconds as they walked side by side. In the distance Lydia could see the faint lights of a building and the trees were thinning out. They were getting close and Lydia had no idea what would follow next, where they would all go.

“A win win." Allison murmured. "Isaac would be best to ask, they know more than i do but i can teach you what i know.” She switched off the flashlight on her phone, only proving further her theory that they were nearly there.

Lydia shivered as they stepped out of the clearing, the trees no longer serving to shield them from most of the night time chill. They were certainly at the back of a few buildings, though Stiles’ jeep was nowhere in sight.  
  
“I bet they’re getting fucking pizza.” Allison murmured.  
  
Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise Lydia if that were the case. She didn’t even mind what happened now, she just wants to get changed out of her wet clothes and maybe go to sleep.

“Oh! Shooting star!”  
  
Lydia’s head shot up, scanning the sky. “Where?”

Allison grabbed Lydia’s right hand, lifting it up and pointing towards a spot in the sky with their hands.  
  
“Right there.” Allison said, moving their hands to track the movement of the star shooting across the sky. “Make a wish, little bird.”

Lydia thought about what Allison would wish for. It’d probably be world peace or to end world hunger or disease, to make bad people stop being bad and to rescue all of the puppies.

Lydia wasn’t like that. She just wished that this moment could last a little longer.  
  
A pair of headlights appeared in Lydia’s peripheral, she looked around just as Stiles’ jeep came into view and she could clearly see Malia holding a pizza box in their hands.  
  
Allison laughed, quietly and a little breathlessly. “Those fucking assholes.” She said with more affection than Lydia could have thought possible with those words.  
  
Allison didn’t seem to mind that they were still holding hands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole pool scene was heavily inspired by Life is Strange and the movie Foxfire (Which you should watch if you haven't it's amazing and has 90's Angelina Jolie and is just all around a magical movie for female friendship)
> 
> Chapter 8 should be up Friday? Maybe Saturday? Soon tho. Stay safe!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be honest... shrek 2 distracted me from uploading this sooner  
> Warning for talk about the past abuse Isaac suffered and past sexual encounters Lydia experienced (Like in canon Lydia would have been around 15/16 when she started having sex, figured i'd throw in a warning just in case)
> 
> Also this is a lowkey angsty chapter

 

“Lydia! Good morning.” Talia greeted, pulling her into a warm hug. “Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

Lydia blinked at the woman as she eased back from the hug. “Good morning, and i have.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Talia asked. “I can make you something if you want?”   
  
“I’m fine, honestly.”   
  
Cora laughed and came to Lydia’s side. “Though we definitely wouldn’t say no to some tea.”   
  
Talia smiled at her daughter. “Of course you wouldn’t, you can come and help make it then.”   
  
Cora groaned and followed her mother into the kitchen, leaving Lydia in the living room with Derek, Danny and Ethan.   
  
“So we heard about the school incident.” Danny said.   
  
“It was fun.” Lydia replied, walking over to sit on the sofa beside Ethan. “You guys should have come.”   
  
“Oh yeah, the part where Isaac triggered the fire alarm so you and Allison had to go running through the woods sounds like a lot of fun.” Derek replied.   
  
Lydia shrugged, even that part was kind of fun, in its own right. “It’s a good memory, where is everyone?”   
  
“Scott’s working until lunch, Kira is on her way with Isaac, Stiles is probably still asleep, same goes for Malia, Allison is either running or sleeping, Erica is in the shower and Boyd is outside on the phone to his sister.” Derek tapped each finger as he listed his friends.

“We didn’t really have plans today so i figured we could have no plans together.” Cora explained, she set a tray full of cups down as Talia placed a tea pot beside them.   
  
“I’m sure you can all find something to do.” Talia said.   
  
Cora groaned. “I’m still tired. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything to do in town.”

“Not with that attitude.” Talia replied, swatting Cora’s leg affectionately and leaving the room.  
  
“We can figure out what to do when everyone else gets here.” Derek said.   
  
Ethan pulled out his phone. “May as well start looking now though.”   
  
  
  
As everybody else began to show up, Lydia noticed Talia greet them all in the same way, with a hug and asking them if they had eaten yet, nobody seemed to think it was anything other than normal and soon enough most of the group were gathered in the living room trying to figure out what to do.   
  
“There’s an art gallery in the next town over.” Kira said. She turned to show her phone to Derek. “It’s free too.”   
  
“What kind of art?” Lydia asked.   
  
“Doesn’t say, but i’m guessing it’s a mixed bag?”   
  
“Could be fun.” Erica nodded. “Nice drive, see some fine art, hit up a gift shop… I’m in.”

“Get some burgers…” Stiles added.   
  
“Burgers are literally a must have.” Cora nodded.   
  
“We can pick Scott up, get food on the way, drive down…” Danny said, thoughtfully staring down at his phone. “Could always get food on the way back if we stay out late enough.”

“We don’t need a schedule, none of us have anywhere we need to be do we?” Ethan asked.   
  
They heard Malia and Allison outside before they even came in through the front door, Malia walked in, their hands gesturing wildly as they talked about a video game they wanted, Allison trailed in behind them nodding slowly, hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans, the sleeves of her oversized flannel were rolled up to her elbows.

“Nice of you to join us!” Erica called, cutting Malia off mid sentence.  
  
“Oh shush.” Malia replied, rolling their eyes but grinning when Talia came down the stairs and held her arms open to pull Malia and Allison into her arms.   
  
“How are you both? Have you eaten?”   
  
“Yeah, thanks Talia.” Malia replied.

Allison hesitated and scratched the back of her neck, glancing at everyone else in the room and meeting Talia’s gaze sheepishly.  
  
“Allison.”   
  
“Um… I’m not really hungry.”   
  
“You need to eat something.”   
  
Allison looked vaguely uncomfortable, Malia nudged her gently with their elbow.   
  
“I could eat something too.” Malia said.   
  
“Me too.” Derek added. “Please.”   
  
“Ten minutes.” Talia said. “Do you have enough tea?”   
  
“Yeah, thanks mom.” Cora replied.  
  
As Talia walked away Malia dropped down onto the floor beside Kira, Allison pushed a hand through her hair and walked over to the group. Lydia tried to figure out where she could sit and if there were a way to get Allison closer to her, being wedged between Cora and Ethan made it unlikely though.   
  
“I love the dress.” Allison told Isaac. “Teal is a great colour for you.”   
  
Isaac grinned and reached up to hug her quickly. “Thank you. They/Them pronouns today.”   
  
“Is that my flannel?” Derek asked.   
  
Allison looked down at herself and shrugged. “Probably? I don’t remember buying it but i found it in my closet and it’s comfy.”   
  
“Allison, you can sit here.” Ethan said, rising from his seat.   
  
“Where are you going to sit?” Allison asked.Instead of replying, Ethan just sat back down in Danny’s lap. “Adorable.” She said, settling down on the sofa beside Lydia. “Hey.” Allison greeted softly.

“Hey.” Lydia greeted. This close, it was easier to see that the girl looked tired. Lydia couldn’t tell if it was intentional but Allison looked like she had just rolled out of bed.   
  
“Are you okay?” Allison asked.   
  
“I’m fine, are you?”   
  
Allison looked down and nodded. “Just a little tired.”

“We decided we’re going to go to an art gallery.” Stiles said  
  
“Wait what?” Malia asked.  
  
“Kira found it, we’re gonna pick Scott up and drive over to check it out, it’s something to spend the day on.” Boyd explained.   
  
“Sounds like fun.” Allison replied softly. She filled a mug with tea and held it close. “Who’s driving and who’s riding with who?”  
  
“We can worry about that in a little while.” Kira said. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere right now.”  
  
“Derek!” Talia called. “Come and help bring the plates in!”  
  
“Coming!” Derek replied, pushing out of his seat and heading towards the kitchen, ruffling Allison’s hair on the way. Malia immediately stole his seat.   
  
Lydia listened as Isaac and Danny started to talk about a show, Erica and Boyd joining in after a few moments, she was more focused on the way Allison curled a leg underneath herself and settled more comfortably in the sofa.

There was something dark about her mood that Lydia couldn’t place and even if she knew how to ask, she knew that Allison wouldn’t talk about it with so many people present.

Derek returned with plates precariously balanced in his arms. “Mom said there’s more if anyone else changed their minds.” He said. He held out a plate for Allison, waiting until she took it before turning to Malia and giving them a plate too.   
  
Erica and Boyd shrugged and headed to the kitchen with Stiles.   
  
“Talia does make the best eggs.” Allison said, poking the contents with her fork before taking a bite. “Have you eaten?” She asked, looking up at Lydia.  
  
“Yeah, i’m fine. Promise.”   
  
Derek kicked Allison’s ankle gently. “Eat up.”   
  


When they finally got to the gallery, Lydia watched as the group split. Erica, Boyd and Cora following Malia and Stiles. Lydia for the most part stuck next to Kira and Scott, talking to Kira about the various pieces.   
  
It was nice that Kira knew a lot about art, even though she had a preference for photography. Lydia couldn’t remember the last time she got to have a conversation about art with somebody.   
  
“It’s really cool that you know all this.” Scott said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. “Do you paint?”   
  
Lydia nodded sheepishly. “I mean, kind of? I haven’t… For a while.”   
  
She’d only just started to draw again, shaky sketches as she tried to find her footing with it all again and remember how it all worked.   
  
“Well i think it’s great that you’re getting back into it.” Kira smiled.

Lydia ducked her head and smiled. She stayed nearby as Scott asked the occasional question about a painting they were looking at. She could see Danny and Ethan talking to a few strangers, the others were nowhere in sight save for Allison, who was sat on a bench staring intently at a painting.  
  
Lydia wasn’t surprised that the painting was of of a nebula, brilliant colours of pinks and purples surrounded by stars.  
  
“I’ll be right back.” Lydia said, reaching out to touch Scott’s arm to let him and Kira know.   
  
Scott smiled brightly. “Sure!”   
  
Lydia walked over to Allison, Allison looked up at her when Lydia got close enough, her smile not quite meeting her eyes.   
  
“Hey Lyds.”   
  
Lydia gestured to the spot beside Allison. “Can I?”   
  
Allison’s smile grew warmer and reached up to take Lydia’s hand and pull her down, for a brief moment Allison held her hand before letting go and hugging her arms to her chest.

“Having fun?” Allison asked.   
  
“It’s probably a good thing we don’t have a gallery in Beacon Hills.” Lydia replied. “I’d never want to leave.”   
  
“If you ever want to come back, you just have to say so.” Allison said. “I’ll drive you. Whenever you want.”   
  
“You don’t have to do that.”   
  
Allison turned to her and grinned. “I want to.”   
  
Lydia couldn’t help but smile back, looking away after a moment to look at the painting that had been holding Allison’s attention. “Do you like it here?”   
  
“Absolutely.” Allison nodded. “In a world with so much going on, visiting a place like this feels like a quiet place to reconnect and gather thoughts.” She made a thoughtful sound. “Like the railroad tracks, but with more people and pretty art.”

“Allison, are you okay?” Lydia asked softly, when Allison didn’t respond after a moment she barrelled on. “It’s just… You’ve seemed down today, quiet and… Yeah.”  
  
There was a small voice in the corner of her mind that kept telling her that Allison’s mood was her fault, that it was because she had brought up death at the pool the night before and had caused Allison to think about her mother.   
  
“It’s okay Lydia.” Allison replied turning her head back towards Lydia and slowly lifting her head to meet her gaze. “I just have bad days occasionally. This isn’t exactly a bad day either.” She reached up to rub the back of her neck, a gesture Lydia recognised as one of Allison’s nervous tells. “A bad day is where i can’t really be around people and uh… I forget to eat? Sometimes.”

Lydia wondered if it was something that happened a lot, if Talia’s gesture back at the house was simply her being considerate or if it was because she knew Allison’s habits and didn’t want her to feel singled out by it.   
  
Derek definitely knew. That much had been obvious, Malia too.   
  
Probably the entire group, based on how familiar they all are together.

“I’m just a little bit sad today, but that’s okay little bird, it’s okay to be sad sometimes.”

Lydia stared at Allison and she couldn’t help but feel a little helpless, if the roles were reversed Lydia wouldn’t doubt that Allison would know exactly what to say in this situation.  
  
But the thing is, Lydia didn’t know what to say, she had never been in a situations like this with people she cared about.   
  
“Can i help?” Lydia asked.   
  
Allison’s smile was bright and genuine as she squeezed Lydia’s hand. “You are helping, i-”   
  
“Allison,” Isaac called, startling both Allison and Lydia. They hadn’t even noticed them approaching. “Can i speak to Lydia a minute?”   
  
Allison glanced at Lydia and nodded after a moment, releasing Lydia’s hand and standing up. “Sure. I’ll catch up to you later Lyds.” She gave Isaac’s shoulder a squeeze as she walked past them.   
  
“Sorry, was i interrupting something?” Isaac asked.   
  
“No.” Lydia shook her head. At least, she didn’t think so? She was curious about what Allison had been about to say, though. “What’s up?”   
  
Isaac shrugged and tugged at a bracelet on their wrist. “Allison mentioned that you wanted to learn ASL?”   
  
“She said that you were the best to ask.” Lydia replied.   
  
Isaac nodded, they seemed to be deliberately avoiding Lydia’s gaze. “I knew some before i met everyone, my brother taught it me when i was younger.”   
  
Lydia was surprised, she didn’t know Isaac had a brother, she actually didn’t know much about their life other than the fact they lived with Scott, she hadn’t thought to ask.   
  
“When i have panic attacks, sometimes i become nonverbal, i just… Words don’t work. So ASL kinda helped with it. And then we realised it would help occasionally with Allison in some situations so, yeah. There’s that.”   
  
“I didn’t know you had a brother.” Lydia said.   
  
“He died.” Isaac replied.   
  
Lydia wanted to kick herself. “Isaac- i’m so sorry.”   
  
“It’s okay, you didn’t know.” They ran a hand through their hair and finally faced Lydia fully. “I um… My dad was abusive, he got worse when Cam died but yeah, and people didn’t really know and i didn’t tell anyone until i met the group and they… They were the ones who helped. Stiles got his dad and Melissa took me in and i don’t know what i’d do if i didn’t have them all around me.”   
  
Lydia could feel herself blinking back tears. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”   
  
Isaac shrugged. “It’s hard at times, but Melissa is amazing and so are the others, i see a therapist and he’ll be in jail for a long time.” They cleared their throat and looked apprehensively at Lydia. “I’m sorry for dropping that on you here.”   
  
“No, no it’s okay.” Lydia replied, she wanted to hold their hand, to do something but she didn’t know if they were okay with that. They seemed to pick up on her conflict and reached for her hand, holding it loosely. “Thank you for telling me, you didn’t have to.”   
  
“I wanted to.” Isaac said. “We kinda have this unspoken rule, not to talk about each others pasts, it’s not that we don’t trust you, but it’s like coming out, you know? It’s up to the individual when and how they do it.”   
  
Lydia did understand, God, she really did. There was so much she wanted to say sometimes that it felt like she was being choked with the pressure.

“The point is…” Isaac hesitated, their brow furrowing as they searched for the right words. “I just wanted you to know, it’s not the full story but i think it’ll take longer than this conversation to do all of that.”  
  
Lydia nodded.   
  
“And you don’t have to feel pressured to talk about things if you don’t want to, but you should also feel safe knowing that if you talk to any of us, about _anything_ you can be comfortable knowing that they won’t talk about it with anyone else. You can trust us.”   
  
Lydia wondered if it was obvious that she was hiding things from the group, she wished it were that simple though. Because as much as she did trust everyone, there was still the undoubted fear that once she opened up they would see her for what she is and turn her away.

“You good?” Isaac asked.  
  
Lydia nodded slowly. “Yeah.”   
  
“Wanna go catch up with Allison?” 

“Sure.”  
  
“I didn’t upset you did i?” Isaac asked.   
  
“No, no.” Lydia stood up with them and forced a smile. “Thank you for telling me, for trusting me.”   
  
Isaac smiled. “Of course i trust you.”   
  
Lydia walked with them to where Kira was explaining a painting to Scott, Derek and Allison, she tried not to make it too obvious that she was reeling from Isaac’s words.   
  
They trusted her.

She locked eyes with Allison, who was watching her from where she was huddled under Derek’s arm, a silent question in her eyes. Lydia managed to smile back until the rest of the group made their way towards them.  
  
“Where have you all been?” Scott asked.   
  
“It’s a mystery.” Malia replied.   
  
“Gift shop.” Erica added. “Boyd was talking to the old lady behind the register.”   
  
“There’s a farmers market nearby.” Boyd said. “Can we go? I wanted to buy some fruit.”   
  
“Sure.” Derek nodded. 

“Are you going to bake a pie?” Allison asked.   
  
Boyd smiled, laughing when Allison let out a delightful laugh.   
  
“Boyd is a great cook.” Malia explained upon seeing Lydia’s confused expression.   
  
Boyd shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”   
  
“So, farmers market?” Stiles asked.   
  
Danny gestured towards the exit. “Lead the way.”   
  


  
As it got hotter, the group seemed to regret their choice of leaving the gallery, Allison shed her flannel and Derek brought himself a baseball cap. Despite everything the energy around them felt good, even Allison seemed to have brightened up a little.   
  
“That’s a lot of fruit.” Stiles said, eyeing the bags Boyd held warily.   
  
“We plan on making a lot of pies.” Boyd shrugged, Cora nodded her agreement.   
  
“Okay can we please move somewhere though?” Erica asked. “The sun is trying to melt the flesh from my skin.”   
  
As the group began to debate their next move Lydia spotted Allison fall back to Lydia’s side, bumping her shoulder affectionately. “You good?”   
  
It was a nice day, a nice moment, Lydia wanted it to last a little longer. She smiled at Allison. “Think we can get slushies?”   
  
Allison threw her arm over Lydia’s shoulders. “I think that can definitely be arranged.”   
  


* * *

 

 

Lydia woke up slowly to her phone ringing. She groaned as she reached for it, rolling over onto her back as she hit answer.   
  
“Hello?”   
  
_“Somebody sounds sleepy.”_ Danny’s voice sang through.   
  
“It’s almost like i was asleep.” Lydia retorted. She pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time. “It’s only ten, what’s up?”   
  
_“Do you want to come over later?”_ He asked. _“Scott and Kira are here and I think we’re all free later so we can finally plan the camping trip.”_ _  
_ _  
_ Lydia sat up. “It’s finally going to happen?”   
  
_“That’s the plan. You in?”_ _  
_ _  
_ Lydia brushed her hair from her face and suppressed a yawn. “I can be there in an hour?”

_“Awesome! Scott brought donuts.”_

  


“You’ve never been camping?” Cora frowned, looking from Erica to Lydia. “Seriously?”

“It’s no big deal.” Erica huffed, throwing a pretzel at her girlfriend. “It just wasn’t something that we ever wanted to do. When somebody says ‘vacation’, camping generally isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.”  
  
“Oh, and what is?” Malia asked, leaning closer to grin at Erica.   
  
They’d all found their way to Danny’s eventually, and once they’d finished the (surprisingly difficult task of planning out the trip and then gone out to dinner, Danny had broken out the beers, snacks and movies and now they all found themselves spending the evening spread out around the living room.   
  
Lydia was sat beside Kira, her back more or less to the TV. She hadn’t been all that interested in The Hobbit, unlike Stiles who seemed to have forgotten that he was actually in somebody else’s home surrounded by all of his friends.   
  
“Sipping margaritas on a beach in Mexico. Obviously.” Erica replied.   
  
“Oh. Right, _obviously._ ” Malia nodded slowly.   
  
“Come on, Martin. What’s your excuse then?”   
  
Lydia looked over to Cora and shrugged. “Same as Erica.” She said. “I think my parents would have had collective heart attacks if they’d had to do something like camping.”

Or you know, voluntarily be within five feet of her or each other.   
  
Cora rolled her eyes. “Lame. Kira, best camping experience?”   
  
Kira’s eyes widened a little. “I uh, only went once. I was in the girl scouts and uh, I didn’t really like it but the s'mores? I guess.”   
  
Cora slammed her hand down onto the table. “Yes! S'mores! Scott, your turn!”   
  
Scott stammered for a few moments. “Mom took me, i liked hearing the deer and seeing all the birds first thing in the morning.”   
  
“Adorable. Truly adorable. Stiles?”   
  
“The drive home.” Stiles replied immediately, Lydia was surprised he was paying any attention.   
  
“Boo!” Cora threw a pretzel at him. “You’re disqualified.”   
  
“It’s not a game.” Derek sighed.   
  
“Metaphorically speaking.” Cora rolled her eyes. “Okay, Danny. You’re up.”   
  
“Ghost stories. Managed to give every other kid there nightmares. It was amazing.”   
  
Cora pointed a finger at him. “That. Is. Awesome.” She shifted to look him dead in the eye. “Work on your stories because i want to be awake all night.”   
  
“Pretty sure I could help you with that.” Erica winked. As Cora laughed, Boyd and Erica high fived.   
  
Cora applauded them. “That was impressive, ten points to you. Okay who’s next…” She eyed the last few people of the group. “Isaac?”

Isaac picked at the label of their beer and smiled to themselves. “My brother took me when i was a kid, he took me fishing.”  
  
“We need to go fishing.” Cora said, nodding. “That sounds like something we can do that wouldn't go terribly wrong.”   
  
Boyd snorted quietly, he was probably imagining _every_ way it could go wrong. At least half of the group had a good chance of falling into the river.

“Boyd. Your turn.”  
  
Boyd looked thoughtful for a few moments. “I’m going to be that one who says ‘the whole thing’.”   
  
“You’re sickening.” Cora replied, feigning a gagging sound but it only made Boyd roll his eyes fondly. “Argent, you’re up.”   
  
Lydia looked over at Allison. She was sat beside Isaac, her chin resting in her hand as she stared intently at the bottle of beer, she looked so deep in thought, Lydia almost didn’t want anybody to distract her from it.

“Allison!” Cora threw a pretzel at the girl. Somebody should really take them away from her.   
  
Allison frowned at the offending pretzel and looked up at Cora. “What?”   
  
“Best thing about camping?”   
  
“Seeing the stars.” Allison replied without hesitation. 

There was a collective groan, Lydia felt stupid to think that she was the only one to see Allison's fascination with the sky.

“Predictable.” Cora groaned.

“You asked.” Allison shrugged before going back to her previous task of staring at her bottle.

“Derek,” Cora flicked her brother, distracting him from the concerned look he was sending Allison's way. “You're up.”

“Watching you run away from that skunk when you were eight.”

“Oh my god. I was going to say your dads cooking but that is so much better!” Malia laughed loudly.

Cora huffed. “I thought it was a cat.”

Erica and Isaac started laughing loudly, leaning on each other for support.

Cora glared at them and took a swig from her beer. “New game-”

“It wasn't a game.” Derek interrupted.”

“Never have I ever.” Cora declared. Lydia heard a few mumbled _‘Oh Jesus.’_ From the rest of the group. “Never have I ever lost my phone.”

“Lame.” Erica complained as she took a drink, everybody but Isaac did too.

“Just warming us all up.” Cora shrugged.

Malia rolled their eyes. “Never have I ever had pink hair.”

“You asshole.” Cora muttered.

Malia and Derek high fived.

“Never have I ever watched all of the Harry Potter movies in one sitting without falling asleep.”

Allison and Stiles both drank.

“I refuse to feel guilty.” Stiles said. Allison merely hummed.

“Never have I been on a plane.” Danny said and everybody but Isaac and Scott drank.

Before Allison could say something, Cora cut her off. “Please say something good Argent.”

Allison gave Cora a long look, reaching into the bowl of pretzels and slowly eating a handful.  

“Never have I ever mistaken a skunk for a cat.”

Cora narrowed her eyes at Allison as everyone else laughed, even Lydia ducked her head to join in.

Everybody made a point of doing the same thing and asking perfectly innocent questions until it was Cora’s turn to ask again.

“Never have I ever had sex on the first date.”

There was a brief silence as Lydia glanced around the group. Erica, Boyd and Cora all took shots, grinning at one another. Lydia steeled herself before doing the same, keeping her gaze on the table in front of her.

Lydia wasn't ashamed. Not exactly. Things like this were so complex. The times it had happened the sex had been okay, but she did wish that it could have happened with different people. Either way, she made a point of avoiding everybody's eyes. 

Cora pointed at Malia. “Don't you dare get boring.”

Malia rolled their eyes. “Never have I used food during sex.”

“That sounds messy.” Allison frowned.

“But so much fun.” Danny sighed, taking a drink.

“Amen.” Erica agreed.  
  


As the questions continued, the less involved Allison, Derek and Stiles became and the more Lydia found herself drinking.

_“Never have I ever been stood up.”_

_“Never have I ever slept with someone who one of my friends slept with.”_

_“Never have I ever cried in the last month.”_

_“Never have I ever lied about being in a relationship to stop someone hitting on me.”_

Lydia was definitely past tipsy at this point. The only saving grace was that almost everyone else was either on the same level as her or worse save for Derek, Allison and Stiles. Lydia couldn't tell if they'd stopped playing or if they genuinely hadn't done any of the things talked about.

Danny let out a long, thoughtful sound as he dragged himself up from where he'd been lying on the table. “Okay… Never have I ever… Fallen in love at first sight.'”

Allison was the only one who drank. Lydia tracked the movement with laser focus. Lydia wondered who she was thinking about, was Allison thinking romantic love or platonic? Lydia felt her heart ache as she thought back to their first meeting.

“Really, Allison?” Erica raised an eyebrow.

Allison shrugged. "I love a lot of people.” She said in way of explanation.   
  
Lydia sipped at her drink, wishing she hadn't dared to hope that Allison would say who she had been thinking of, Lydia wasn't sure she could have dealt with the answer either way.

“You're a dork.” Stiles sighed.

“Okay I've got one.” Erica said. “Never have I ever been been dumped. Two drinks for painful or humiliating, one for cuddly and mutual.” She added, pointedly looking in Kira and Allison’s direction.

Lydia drank before she could think about it and immediately regretted it. Though to be honest everybody drank too, but she felt she was one of the only ones to do the double.

She could hear everyone else talking around her but Lydia couldn't bring herself to focus.

Lydia wasn't huge on regrets, and usually she wouldn't want to change a thing about the decisions she'd made because without them she wouldn't be who she is today.

But with the alcohol in her system and the constant back and forth from her friends and her past… She did regret it. At least in that moment.

“Never have I ever fallen for someone with brown eyes.” Stiles said.

Lydia reached for her drink, only to have a hand close around her hand and freezing her movements. She stared at the hand for a few moments, determined to commit every detail to memory. The dark green nail polish that's almost entirely been chipped away, the small scattering of scars on every knuckle.

When she looked up, it’s directly into Allison's eyes. The lights from overhead made them look less brown and more like gold, like actual specks of sunlight had gotten trapped there. Her stare is too intense, too bright and Lydia almost wants to flinch away but she also wanted to let that brightness blind her.

“I think that's enough of that game.” She said softly. “Let's go get some air, okay Lyds?”

Lydia nodded, she knew Allison wouldn't make her, but there's something in her voice that is gently insistent so Lydia let Allison pull her up and walk with her to the front door.

  
The rush of air hit Lydia like a train, it was almost too much and it made the breath get caught in her throat and lean heavily against Allison.

“Take your time.” Allison said.

“Why are we out here?” Lydia asked.

“You're drunk, for a start.” Allison replied, she tentatively moved her arm around Lydia's shoulders to hold her steady. “And you looked upset.”

“I wasn't-”

“Lyds.”

Allison moved around so that they were face to face, she ducked her head so that they could see eye to eye.

“You don't have to talk about it.” Allison said. “If you want I can leave you alone for a while-” she made a move to step back, to move around Lydia and into the house.

Lydia caught her by the sleeve of her hoody before she could move and shook her head.

“No, don't.”

Allison stepped back, partially shielding Lydia from the breeze. She didn't say or do anything but watch Lydia. Lydia let her head drop, looking at the ground.

“I felt like I had to meet certain expectations.” Lydia murmured. “I was with the popular kids and… None of it felt real. It was like a constant game to prove you deserved to be there. Who wore the best clothes, who threw the best parties, who lost their virginity first…”

She waited to see if Allison would say anything, though Lydia couldn't even bring herself to look up.

“I don’t even believe in the whole bullshit of virginity but… I bluffed my way through it. I hated it.” She didn't even realise she was crying until she saw a tear fall and Allison's arms wrapped around her shoulders to pull her in close. 

“I'm sorry, Lyds.” Allison whispered, selling a hand through her hair, Lydia sighed and pressed closer into her. “Do you want me to beat him up?”

“No, if you never meet him I'll be a happier person.”

She could almost visualise Allison's frown as she rested her chin on Lydia's head. "You know none of us care about that stuff right? How many people you've had sex with, it doesn't change our thoughts or feelings about you."

“I’m a bad person, Alli.” Lydia said, she hoped Allison could hear her muffled voice, even if she didn't have the strength to tell Allison everything, the least she could do is this.

“I refuse to believe that, Lydia.” Allison said, she pulled away so that there were a few inches of space between them, her eyes were determined now. “I've seen your heart.”

Lydia shook her head, only to have Allison cup her cheeks in both hands, thumbs swiping under her eyes to wipe away the tears.

“I mean it Lydia. You're not. You're amazing and smart and the most understanding, considerate friend anyone could ever ask for.” Allison smiled. “I'm lucky to call you my best friend.”

Lydia's brain seemed to be struggling to wrap itself around the fact that Allison had just called her her best friend, that she had said those things with such honesty Lydia could hear the truth within them.

The moment Allison leaned down to press her lips to Lydia's forehead was the moment her brain decided to short circuit.

“Okay…” Allison moved back, eyes studying Lydia's face, her thumbs brushing softly against her cheeks before reluctantly dropping her hands, she pulled her hoody over her head and pressed it into Lydia's hands. “You're going to put this on because you're shaking and I'm going to take you home, okay?”

Lydia nodded. “But everyone's been drinking?”

“I'll walk you-” Allison cut herself off as Lydia attempted to put the hoody on. She couldn't see the other girl but felt Allison's hands helping her and rolling the hoody down. “Or carry you. How are you with piggybacks?”

“You don't have to.”

Allison smiled and turned so her back was to Lydia, she gave her own shoulder a tap. “Come on Lyds, don't worry about me.”

Lydia hesitated for a second before she climbed onto Allison's back, wrapping her arms around Allison’s neck and letting Allison hoist her up. There wasn’t a way to rest her head that didn’t involve using Allison’s head so she found herself with her nose buried into soft brown curls that smelt like lavender.   
  
“What about the others?”   
  
“I texted them while you were trying to put the hoody on.” Allison took a few steps, pausing to adjust her hold on Lydia. “Your place or mine?”   
  
“Mine.” Lydia replied. It’s closer, she didn’t want Allison to have to carry her even further than necessary. It was cold and even though she knows Allison is strong, she’s also slightly drunk and carrying someone home at two in the morning.

Lydia was thankful for the hoody, the warmth of it made Lydia want to burrow into it, pull the sleeves down over her hands and never leave the warmth of it. Allison was humming to herself, gaze fixed ahead as Allison walks. Lydia tried not to think about everything that happened back at the house, but her thoughts can’t help but drift back to Allison’s expression up until they started to play Never have I Ever, how distant she looked.   
  
“Are you okay?” Lydia asked, resting her chin on Allison’s head and glancing up at the stars. It was a cloudy night so many of them were hidden from her view.

“I’m fine, little bird.” Allison replied.  
  
“You just… You still seem down.”   
  
Allison let out a quiet laugh. “It’s just family stuff. Don’t worry about it.”   
  
Lydia tightened her hold on Allison and turned to rest her cheek against Allison’s hair as her mind ran through possible scenarios. Chris seemed like a good father, but she knows looks can be deceiving. “If your dad is-”   
  
“No, no. He’s… Fine. It’s the rest of the family. The ones back in France. They want to see me soon, but i’m not ready for that yet. I just feel bad because i know my dad misses them. I'm trying to get him to go alone but he doesn't want to leave me. He hasn't really left me alone since before...” Allison shook her head, displacing Lydia for a moment. "I don't think he's ready to do that, doesn't matter about the progress."   
  
“Allison…”   
  
She didn’t really know what Allison was talking about, he hadn't left her alone since what? Since Victoria died? That didn't sound right, with how long ago she died he must have had to of left Allison at some point, he can go hours without seeing her now that he's a deputy. What progress did Allison mean?

“Do you have your keys?” Allison asked, dragging Lydia from her thoughts.  
  
Lydia looked up and saw her house approaching. She let one arm drop from Allison’s shoulders to try and fish her keys from the pocket of her skirt, forgetting momentarily that she was a few feet off of the ground and almost falling, only to be saved by Allison gripping onto her tightly.   
  
“I’ve got you.” Allison said.   
  
Lydia fished the keys out of her pocket and with some adjustment, they managed to open the front door. Allison slipped her shoes off, all without letting go of Lydia. It was more than a little impressive.   
  
“Is your mom in?” Allison asked, her voice barely above a whisper.   
  
“I don’t know.” Lydia replied honestly.   
  
“Stealthy it is.” Allison nodded.   
  
They moved up the stairs and towards Lydia’s rooms slowly. Once inside, Allison didn’t turn on the lights, only easing Lydia down onto the bed before kneeling on the ground to slip off Lydia’s heels. Allison disappeared into the bathroom as Lydia became more preoccupied with trying to understand why being on Allison’s back felt infinitely more comfortable than her own bed. It made no sense.

Allison returned a moment later with the glass Lydia kept on her sink and pressed it into her hand.   
  
“Drink it all.”   
  
Lydia drank half, it seemed to be enough to satisfy Allison. She set the glass on the counter and even went as far as to plug Lydia’s phone into the charger.  
  
“Will you stay?” Lydia asked.   
  
She wasn't sure she could bear to wake up tomorrow and be alone to face it all.  
  
“Yeah.” Allison breathed. “I’ll stay, get some sleep Lyds.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunday or Monday for chapter 9, the angst shall continue!  
> Have a safe weekend!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday all!  
> Warning for more talk about Victoria's suicide, brief mention of self harm and a suicide attempt  
> I swear this is a happy fic

  
  
Lydia woke up hot, too hot and it wasn't until she opened her eyes and realised she was still wearing Allison's hoody from the night before.

She let out a quiet groan and pulled it off, letting it fall to the floor and rolling over onto her side...

Directly into Allison. If it weren't for the quiet sound of confusion that she made, Lydia was certain that she would have flung herself out of the bed to put the distance between them.

“Lyds?” Allison asked, voice thick with sleep. “Time is it?”

Lydia glanced at the window and let her head drop back onto the pillows. “Early.”

Allison made a sound that practically bordered on a whine. “Do I have to leave?”

“No.” Lydia said. “You never have to leave.”

“Okay.” Allison rolled onto her side and for the first time Lydia spotted a scattering of freckles on her nose. The early morning sunlight hit her back, making her look back lit. Glowing, almost. “More sleep and then breakfast at the diner?”

It felt so normal and domestic, sharing a bed with Allison, sleeping off hangovers and talking about breakfast. Lydia relaxed into the pillows and let herself drift off.

When she woke up again, the bed was empty and it took a moment for Lydia to find Allison sat on her windowsill, book open and in hand.

“What are you reading?” Lydia asked, clearing her throat and grimacing at how scratchy it felt.

“Cujo.” Allison closed the book. “That is one scary dog.” She smiled at Lydia. “Good morning.”

“How long have you been awake?” Lydia asked, sighing at the creases in her dress. She hated sleeping in clothes from the day before and yet there Allison was, sat on her windowsill looking flawless.

“About an hour?”

“Why didn't you wake me?”

“You looked peaceful.” Allison replied. “It's fine. Are you okay?”

And just like that, the memories of the night came flooding back. She wasn’t ready to talk about any of it though, not without brushing her teeth and coffee and something to eat. It's too early to be thinking about serious conversation.

“I need to not be wearing these clothes.” Lydia said instead.

Allison stared at Lydia before taking a couple of steps towards the door, pointing a finger towards the door.

“I'll just… Wait outside. Still up for breakfast?”

“Definitely.” Lydia held up her hand. “Five minutes.”

Lydia felt at least twenty times better when she left her room. She’d pulled her hair into a braid and changed her dress. Allison was leaning against the wall, staring down at her phone. She looked up when Lydia closed the door behind her, her gaze flickering over Lydia's profile.

“You ready?” She asked, slipping her phone into her pocket.

“After you.”

Allison smiled and followed Lydia down the stairs. Lydia paused by the front door and watched as Allison struggled to put her shoes on without sitting down. Lydia wondered how she managed to take them off so easily _while_ carrying Lydia but she couldn't seem to do this.

“Oh my god, Allison.” Lydia stepped forward and put Allison's hand on her shoulder. “Better?”

Allison smiled and pulled on one of her shoes. “Much.”

“Lydia? Is that you?”

Both Lydia and Allison looked up at her mother's voice, Allison almost losing her balance and tumbling into Lydia.

“Hey mom.” Lydia greeted.

“I didn't hear you come in last night.” Natalie said.

Allison pulled her other shoe on and moved to stand just behind Lydia.

Lydia shrugged. “Didn't know you were in, didn't want to wake you just in case so we were quiet.”

“We?” Natalie looked between them.

“It was late and I didn't want Allison to walk home alone.”

“That was nice of you. Are you heading out?”

“We’re getting breakfast.” Lydia replied.

“We could pick you something up if you want?” Allison asked. “They have great pancakes.”

“I'm fine, thank you Allison.”

The three of them hovered, the silence between them was growing. There was a look on her mother's face that seemed like she wanted to talk and Allison was frozen beside her like she didn't want to leave Lydia alone to find out what it was about.

“We should go.” Lydia said.

“Of course.” Natalie smiled.  
  
“Always a pleasure to see you, Ms Martin.”  
  
“You too, Allison.”  
  
  


“So,” Allison paused to take a sip of coffee. “Do you want to talk about last night?”

“What’s there to say?” Lydia asked.  
  
“You called yourself a bad person, Lyds. If you’re up for it i was wondering if you would tell me why you’d think that.” She was watching Lydia carefully, though her expression was warm and open.  
  
“And if I didn’t want to talk about it?”  
  
“Then we’d change the subject.” Allison shrugged. “There’s something I have to tell you anyway, because I’m pretty sure your mom knows things you don’t and I want to make sure you get the truth.”

Lydia considered it for a few moments, distracting herself with adding more syrup to her pancakes before she lifted her head to meet Allison’s gaze.

She trusted Allison, it would be okay.

And if it wasn’t… Well, Lydia figured it was best to get this over with rather than let herself get more attached to these people.  
  
“I was popular, I hung out with those at the top of the food chain and they- they were assholes.” Lydia kept her gaze on her breakfast. “I don't think I need to waste time on the details, but they were bullies and I did nothing to stop it from happening because I was afraid of losing my reputation.”

When Lydia glanced up, Allison was watching her. Hand wrapped loosely around her mug, there was nothing in her expression to give away how she felt.

“But it didn't really matter.” Lydia shrugged. “Because they were only interested in me for my parents money and my boyfriend was sleeping with most of my friends behind my back while my father was tearing my home apart. When i had nothing my friends didn’t want me anymore and then I moved back here.”

“None of that makes you a bad person.” Allison replied a moment later.

“I let my ‘friends’ bully people. I didn't even try to stop them.”

Allison was thoughtful for a minute, setting her mug down and tapping her fingers against the table.

“I don't know what you want me to say to you, Lydia.” Allison said. “But if you want me to think you're a bad person, then I'm sorry but no. Because you're not.”

“Dammit Allison!” Lydia hit her hand against the edge of the table and it was enough to make Allison's head snap up, the cup shaking dangerously as she straightened up. Eyes wide as she looks directly at Lydia. “You can't see the good in everyone!”

As soon as she said the words, Lydia regretted them. There's hurt in Allison’s eyes and Lydia hated that she was the one who put it there and she wished that she knew why she had snapped in the first place. It wasn't Allison's fault that she was the sun, that Lydia could feel burnt by her rays and trapped in her shadow all at once.

The hurt in Allison's eyes seemed to fade, her expression softening, even if she could still see the tension in her jaw.

“I know that.” Allison replied. “But right now, we’re not talking about everyone. We’re talking about you and the good I see in you.”

She eased her plate to one side, looking a little mournful at the food that still remained. When she returned her gaze to Lydia it was with a new sense of determination that Lydia had to force herself to hold.

“I've seen nothing but good from you since you came here Lydia. You donated toys to the hospital, hell, you're accepting and respectful. You make us smile and laugh and you want to help-

“I haven't done anything.”

“Isaac told you about their childhood. They trust you, we trust you. You want to help with Danny's project on sexuality, you want to learn ASL and hell, you apologised for moving to L.A even though you didn't have to.” Allison glanced down at Lydia's hand, her own fingers twitched before she briefly curled them into a fist.  
  
Lydia tracked the movement, she couldn’t bring herself to meet Allison’s eyes.

“It doesn't matter what you did or didn’t do in the past. You're not that person now. It's what you do _now_ that matters.” Allison continued, she dropped her gaze and picked at her napkin. “If you think you were a bad person back then, then fine. I wasn't there. But i knew you before you moved to LA and i know you now and I refuse to think that about you or who you are now and i’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you know just how wonderful you are.” She finished quietly.

Lydia was stunned into silence, she'd seen Allison talk so passionately but she'd never expected to have it directed at her, let alone be the source of the conversation.

Around them, the diner is alive with sleepy eyed people getting their morning fill of bacon and coffee, the radio is playing top 40 hits and there's a couple walking in hand in hand. At their table, it's silent. Allison wasn’t looking at her and Lydia didn't really know what to do, she was just thankful that Allison hadn't walked away yet.

“I'm sorry, Allison. For snapping, that wasn't fair of me.”

Allison sighed, Lydia tracked the rise and heavy fall of her shoulders. This was a conversation far too heavy for pancakes.

“It's okay.” She straightened up and lifted her head, pushing her curls from her face and smiling reassuringly at Lydia. “I understand.”

Lydia didn't feel very reassured, she didn't think she was an expert in reading Allison, but she had gotten pretty good at it and she could tell that even though Allison was smiling, she wasn't happy. Lydia knew that there was something she had to do to make it up to her.

Allison reached up to rub the back of her neck. “So I promised i’d-”

They both startled as her phone rang. Allison cursed as she leaned back in her seat, arching her back so that she can pull it out from her jeans. It wasn't the best time for Lydia to get distracted by the sharpness of Allison's hip bones, but she was only a human and those hip bones were _incredible_.

“Oh shit,” Allison frowned at the phone before hitting answer and pressing it to her ear. “Hey dad.”

She makes a few humming sounds, gaze darting between Lydia and the table.

“No- yeah, I stayed at Lydia’s.” She pushed a hand into her already dishevelled curls and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I… Yeah. Yeah, I'll come home.” She sighed. “Okay, ten minutes.”

She hung up, staring at her phone for a few seconds before looking up at Lydia, expression apologetic.

“I have to go.”

“Is everything okay?” Lydia asked.

Allison nodded, pulling her a handful of dollars from her pocket.

“No, Allison, you don't-”

Allison set the money down with one hand and pat Lydia's with the other.

“I invited you out for breakfast, I pay.” She hesitated for a moment. “Look, I promised you I'd tell you some things… If you're not busy tonight, can you come over?”

Lydia nodded. “Of course.”

Allison smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Remember everything I said, okay?”

“I'll try.”

“That's all I ask.”

A few minutes later, Lydia was left alone in their booth surrounded by half eaten food and her lukewarm mug of coffee.  
  
She wasn’t sure what to make of Allison’s words, she was so insistent that Lydia wasn’t the person she used to be, that she _was_ a good person and that she belonged with the group. Maybe Allison was right.  
  
And maybe one day Lydia might believe her.

 

  
_“Hello?”_  
  
“Hey Derek, it’s Lydia.”  
  
_“I know. I have caller ID, as do most people.”_  
  
Lydia rolled her eyes, she knew Derek could be deadpan sarcastic, Cora had to have learned it from somewhere, after all. But right now a small part of her was wishing that she’d called pretty much anyone else.  
  
_“Is everything okay?”_  
  
“This is going to sound… Weird. But what’s Allison’s favourite ice cream?”  
  
Derek was silent for a few seconds. _“What? Why?”_  
  
Lydia sighed. “Because i want to buy her ice cream?”

_“Is this some kind of date?”_  
  
“No! No.” Lydia sighed again, this was exactly the reason why she had called him and not one of the others, she didn’t expect Derek to jump to this conclusion. “We just… We talked earlier, about stuff. I snapped. I still feel bad and I’m going over later so i want to bring ice cream.”

_“Cookie dough or phish food.”_ Derek replied. _“If they don’t have those she likes mint choc chip too.”_  
  
“Thank you Derek.”  
  
_“Am i allowed to ask why you snapped at her?”_  
  
“I have issues i need to work through.” Lydia replied, hopefully Derek would appreciate the deadpan comment.  
  
_“Don’t we all.”_ He replied. “Good luck with the ice cream thing.”

“Thank you.”  
  
_“And Lydia?”_  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
_“You don’t have to work through anything alone.”_  
  
Lydia swallowed thickly. “Thank you.”  
_  
_ As she hung up, Lydia dropped back against her bed, head connecting with Allison's hoody that she definitely was not using as a pillow.

 

For a while, Lydia had considered calling up one of the others and hanging out with them but had ultimately decided against it in order to reflect on her conversation with Allison. She had told Allison about some of her life in L.A and Allison hadn't judged her for it. It hadn't changed Allison's view of her and Allison had just been so insistent in telling Lydia exactly _how_ she wasn't a bad person.

It was how much Allison had been paying attention to Lydia that has shocked her. She hadn't even realised that the things she had been doing counted for anything.

Lydia sat up, pulling Allison's hoody into her lap.

Maybe that was Allison's point. Lydia had been focusing so much on what she hadn't done in the past that she had overlooked what she was doing now.

Lydia groaned and buried her face into Allison's hoody.

“She deserves so much ice cream.” Lydia mumbled to herself.

She didn't mean to get distracted by how the hoody smelt so much like Allison but her best friend is beautiful and inspiring and so aware of everything going on around her that Lydia found herself falling for her more with each passing day.

Crushes are the worst.

Lydia forced herself to move the hoody to one side. She didn't have to meet Allison for a few hours, she may as well go see Isaac and Scott.

  
  
Lydia kind of loved hanging out at the McCall house. Melissa, Scott and Isaac had all been there and it had felt so natural to sit with them with a cup of coffee and talk.

For the most part, they talked exclusively about the camping trip and Lydia was surprised at how little she knew about it all. Honestly, she was comfortable leaving the planning to those who actually knew what they were doing.

It's relaxing to be with them. Scott, Isaac and Melissa are all extremely in tune with emotions and seemed to pick up on her mood and subsequently took it upon themselves to distract her. Though Isaac seemed to get a smirk on their face when Lydia announced that she was going to go and see Allison but nothing more was said.

 

  
“Martin? What are you doing here?”  
  
Lydia turned as Erica walked into the restaurant, grinning as she approached.  
  
“I’m picking up food, this is one of Allison’s favourite places” Lydia explained. She’d ordered ahead and picked up the ice cream and snacks on the way, now she just had to hope the ice cream didn’t melt everywhere before she could even get to the apartment.  
  
Erica raised an eyebrow. “In the doghouse?”  
  
“Kind of.” Lydia admitted. “I… She said that she was fine but i snapped at her and i still feel bad. She was just trying to help.”  
  
“Sounds like Allison.” Erica nodded, coming up beside Lydia to lean against the wall. “What happened?”  
  
Lydia knew that she didn’t have to explain herself, but telling Allison after so long of holding her feelings to herself, Lydia couldn’t keep doing it.  
  
“I’ve been feeling like i don’t belong with you all, i’ve been feeling that way for a while but last night brought everything to the surface.”  
  
Lydia had never seen Erica be serious so the lack of a snarky response was unsettling to Lydia.  
  
“Well, why do you feel like that?” Erica asked.  
  
“Because my friends were bullies and i just let it happen, i hid myself and let people use me to maintain popularity among so much other stuff.”  
  
“People change.” Erica said. “I was an asshole before i moved here, i’m sure if you asked everybody else would say something similar. Except Scott and Kira because let's be honest they’re fucking perfect.”  
  
They really were. Lydia nodded her agreement.

“But you weren’t a bully, even if you were, you’re not now, you know?” Erica groaned. “I’m not good with feelings stuff.” She turned to face Lydia. “You’re welcome with us, talk to us about these worries you have because we do care, Allison doesn’t hate you but you should still hug her because you look like you need a hug and... “ Erica shrugged, clearly at a loss about what else to say. “You’re great.”  
  
By Erica’s standards, that was the equivalent of her telling Lydia she was her best friend. “You’re great too.” Lydia replied.  
  
Erica rolled her eyes, gesturing to the counter when Lydia’s name was called. “Go get your food, nerd.”  
  
Lydia laughed, suddenly thankful for Erica’s random appearance.

 

Allison was in sweatpants and a t-shirt when she opened the door, she looked tired but her eyes widened as she looked down at the bags in Lydia's hands.

“What's this?” She asked softly.

Lydia lifted one bag. “I got your favourite from that Chinese place by Erica’s.” She lifted the other bag. “And ice cream and candy and I also brought your hoody back.”

Allison looked at each bag and up at Lydia's face.

“Oh little bird.” She laughed breathlessly, she wrapped her arms around Lydia's shoulders.

With the bags in her hands Lydia couldn't really do much beyond lean into it when Allison's nose bumped against her temple.

“You didn't have to.”

“I did.” Lydia replied. “I wanted to.”

Allison pulled back from the hug and eased the bag of takeout from Lydia and replaced it with her hand and tugged Lydia into the apartment.

“You can put the ice cream in the freezer.” Allison said. “Do you want plates or do you just want to eat out of the box?”

“The box is fine.” Lydia replied. “It'll save doing dishes.” She stopped in front of the freezer and smiled at the few photos stuck to it with magnets.

There was one of Allison, she couldn't have been more than six or seven, grinning with her mother and holding a bow. She never thought to ask if Allison still did archery.

“Is everything okay with your dad?” Lydia asked when she joined Allison in the living room. Allison had been opening the boxes and making barely restrained pleased sounds as she saw the contents of each one. Lydia may have been a bit excessive but, whatever. Allison could have leftovers.

“Yeah,” Allison replied. “We talked it through, he's going to France and letting me stay here. On the condition that i stay with the Hales. They have a spare room.”

She handed Lydia a set of chopsticks as she folded her legs underneath herself on the sofa.

“You practically live there anyway.” Lydia said.

Allison laughed and grabbed a potsticker. “That's what I said.” Her smiled faded a little as she shovelled a mouthful of food into her mouth. “He's not happy about it, but he respects my choice to go visit when I'm ready.”

Lydia was quiet as she watched Allison eat for a while, ducking her head to smile when Allison offered her box of food for them to trade.

“What did you do today?”

“I hung out with Scott, Isaac and Melissa.” Lydia replied. “We talked about the trip mostly.”

“Are you excited?”

“A little.” Lydia nodded. “It kinda feels like a lifetime away.”

Allison laughed. “It'll be sooner than you think, right now we all need to plan it all out and make sure we know who's staying in tents with who and stuff.” She made a sound and waved a hand. “Technical stuff. We all need to be together for things like that.”

“Does this mean you’ll be making playlists for the road trips?” Lydia asked.

Allison didn’t reply, but her lips quirked up at the edges.

They ate in relative silence for a little longer, the TV quietly playing an old episode of Cake Boss, before Allison twisted in her seat, crossing her legs so that she was facing Lydia.  
  
“I want to tell you about some stuff.” Allison said, all traces of humour gone from her voice. “But it’s kind of heavy so i totally understand if you don’t want to do this while we’re eating.”

Lydia swallowed her mouthful of food and set the box down on the table and turned so that she was mimicking Allison’s position, their knees brushed together and Allison gripped the box of takeout as though it was her lifeline.  
  
“No, no, it’s fine. Are you sure you want to tell me?”  
  
Allison nodded. “Definitely.”  
  
She stabbed her chopsticks into her food and rubbed the back of her neck. Lydia waited patiently, it was the least she could do to offer Allison the same courtesy she was given this morning.

“So, my mom… She killed herself. You know?” She looked up to meet Lydia’s gaze and waited until she received a nod before continuing. “I… Still don’t know why she did it. Neither does my dad, i think. But she did and...” Allison dropped her head and let out a long, shaky sigh.  
  
Lydia tracked every movement, the way her knuckles turned white as she gripped the box in her hand even tighter, the way she seemed to hunch in on herself and hide her face from Lydia.  
  
“Dad got rid of all of the guns, quit his job, we moved. I was angry, I was really, _really_ angry and really depressed. I got into a few fights, actually a lot of fights, punched some walls. It made it easier to justify, like it wasn’t _really_ self harm.” She rubbed a hand over the knuckles of her right hand.  
  
Lydia had wondered about the scars on her knuckles.  
  
“I pulled away from my friends and family… Turned my back on God and the Church…” She shook her head and lifted her gaze to meet Lydia’s. Her eyes looked shiny with tears and Lydia’s fingers itched with the urge to reach out and comfort her.  
  
Allison leaned to the side to set her food down, no doubt taking the moment of distraction to try and compose herself but when she returned her focus to Lydia, Lydia let her fingers reach out to brush against Allison’s knee.  
  
“Did you know that in a high enough dose, aspirin can cause hearing loss?” Allison asked quietly.

Lydia could only stare and shake her head slightly. Allison nodded.  
  
“Yeah.” She said even quieter. “I don’t think many of us did.” Allison’s gaze shifted to focus on Lydia’s hand and covered it with her own. Lydia immediately flipped her hand to lace their fingers together and the answering sigh makes it entirely worth it.  
  
“It was stupid.” Allison said. “I wasn’t thinking and i regretted it almost as soon as i did it. I just… There was too much noise.”  
  
Lydia felt a faint feeling of deja vu, she vaguely remembered saying something on a similar level to Allison before, back when Allison was asking why she no longer drew. Lydia knew now that Allison definitely understood what she had meant.  
  
“Things get… Hazy, after that.” Allison sighed, she’s taken to tracing her fingers against Lydia’s palm, mostly likely to distract herself and Lydia is willing to indulge, no matter the flames her touch left in its wake. “I had to stay in hospital for a while, partially because they were trying to figure out if there was any other damage and just how extensive the damage to my hearing was… I think my doctor was mostly surprised that all of the damage was only in the one ear, to be honest, aspirin overdoses can have really bad side effects.” She shrugged and her fingers stopped tracing patterns, falling limp against Lydia’s palm.    
  
“Mostly they were keeping me under observation so that i didn’t try something else while they had me do a whole bunch of assessments and talk to a bunch of people…” She sighed. “When they let me out i was set up with a therapist and then… I don’t know it was all a little hard to adjust to because suddenly i couldn’t figure out where sound was coming from unless i could actually see it and it’s not like there’s a sign over my head that told people about it and when I came back to school some people treated me like a freak because i tried to kill myself.”

She paused for long enough to take a sip of her soda.  
  
“My therapist helped me a lot though, i never knew how to open up about my feelings, i always thought they were a burden and that i shouldn’t talk to people about them, they were no ones problems but my own. I still struggle but it helped me fix the bridge between me and Scott and Stiles and from there it started to get easier. That was around the time I met Danny and everybody else. It’s taken a long time for me to get to this point.”

“Are you still angry at your mom?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Sometimes.” Allison nodded. “I wish i could have known why she did it and why she didn’t feel like she could talk to anybody about it. I still get angry at myself for what i did to myself and the way i treated Scott and Stiles back then, for the pain i put my father through.” She reached up to scratch behind her right ear. “But for the most part I just try to focus my anger into something better, more productive, more positive. Helping other people does that.”  
  
“You want to change the world.”  
  
Allison smiled, drawing one knee up and wrapping her arms loosely around it. “I guess so.”  
  
“Allison?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Do you really think one person can change the world?” Lydia asked, she was genuinely curious and the last thing she expected was for Allison to rest her chin on her knee and laugh, eyes sleepy as she watched Lydia.  
  
“I think that’s a trick question.”  
  
Lydia frowned, that had been the last thing she had expected the other girl to say.  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Changing the world was never a job meant for one person. There’s too many things to do, too many people to help. I’m not Atlas, Lydia. The world doesn't rest on my shoulders. One person can’t change the world, but they can change the world for one person and that in itself is enough.” Allison’s smile grew warmer. “We underestimate our influence on other people, it doesn’t take much to tip the scale and inspire someone to do better, to want to help others, we can start a chain reaction and maybe one day that’ll be enough. I kinda figured that out after this happened.” She gestured to her ear. “After I met Danny and we started actively trying to make people feel safer.”  
  
Lydia wanted to hug Allison, she wanted to take this girl who has suffered loss and pain and anger and had somehow managed to push through it all to find the strength to want to help people and wrap her up and never let anything hurt her again, ever.

Allison nudged her gently with her foot. “I think we need that ice cream, don’t you?”  
  
Lydia stopped her before she could stand. “I’ll get it.” She nodded towards the TV. “Maybe find something better to watch?”  
  
“Cake boss is a gift, Lydia.” Allison muttered, but she was smiling as she reached for the remote.

On the way to the kitchen, Lydia thought over what Allison had said. Lydia had to give credit to the rest of the group too, how none of them had mentioned Allison’s (or anyone else's) pasts to her. And while it seemed that possibly the entire town knew about Allison’s past, Allison still trusted her enough to tell her the truth when she was ready. Once again, Lydia was a little in awe at Allison.  
  
She hoped that Allison never doubted her influence on others, because she didn’t think she’s ever met a group of people as inspirational as Allison and the rest of her friends.  
  
When she returned to the living room armed with ice cream, candy and two spoons. Allison had relaxed more into the sofa. Allison looked up and gestured to the TV.  
  
“The Notebook?”  
  
Lydia almost wanted to cry. It’s her favourite movie next to-  
  
“The Mummy isn’t on and Malia borrowed my copy last week.”  
  
Allison delivered it in a way that’s so painfully earnest, she probably didn't even register that she’s making Lydia’s heart ache, even though it’s been so many years since they watched either of those movies together, Allison can still remember that they’re her two favourite movies, it’s such a small gesture that most would probably overlook, but to Lydia it just reaffirmed the knowledge that Allison always paid attention, that she never forgot about Lydia even when they were separated by half a state.  
  
“I’m sorry.” Lydia said, suddenly.  
  
Allison looked a little alarmed. “What for?”  
  
“This morning, for snapping. And I’m sorry for your mom and not being there and not keeping in contact and not being here when you were going through so much and-”  
  
“Lydia,” Allison cut her off, her voice soft and firm. She got up from the sofa to take everything from her arms and set it down on the table and pulled Lydia down until they were sat on the sofa. “you don’t have to apologise, for any of it. I mean for a start you already apologised for it all and i know apology food when i see it.” Allison gave the ice cream a sideways glance. “You’re here now and you never have to apologise for any of that stuff again. Okay?”  
  
Lydia nodded. Honestly she was just thankful she wasn’t crying again.

“Allison do you want- Can i hug you?”  
  
Allison laughed. “I’d be a fool to deny a hug from Lydia Martin.”

Lydia leaned in, wrapping her arms around Allison’s middle and resting her head on her shoulder, Allison let out a quiet sigh and nuzzled her head closer.  
  
"Thank you Allison, for telling me, for helping me today."  
  
Allison hugged her tighter. "I'll always be here to help you."

Lydia wondered if anything would change if Allison knew that Lydia had a huge crush on her. Knowing Allison, possibly not. The girl was so damn sincere and earnest, she would probably pet her hair and tell her it would be okay.

They end up watching The Notebook as they eat too much ice cream and candy. They had to sit close so that they could share but there's close and there's _close_ , and truthfully, Lydia is on the verge of ending up in Allison's lap, not that she's complaining.  
  
It's nice, it felt like a gentle way to bring an end to what was, quite frankly, an emotionally taxing day.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say Wednesday or Thursday for chapter 10? Idk  
> Stay safe!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday! How are we all? Who wants some fluff moments?

 

Lydia woke up to the sound of a door closing, her eyes snap open as her eyes scan the room. It took her a few moments to realise she was in Allison’s living room.

On her sofa.

With a blanket draped over her.  
  
And her arms were wrapped around Allison’s stomach and Allison was holding her and judging by the steady breathing against her ear, the other girl was still fast asleep.  
  
The TV was still on, although it was muted and Lydia couldn’t remember doing that so she can only come to the conclusion that she had fallen asleep on asleep on Allison and the girl had been too considerate to move her.  
  
Somebody cleared their throat across the room and Lydia twisted her head slightly, trying hard not to focus too much on the fact that her cheek was pressed against Allison’s breasts as she looked directly at Chris.

To his credit, he didn’t even look that surprised. He merely raised an eyebrow at Lydia as he set his bag down in the adjacent seat.  
  
“Good morning, Lydia.”  
  
“Mr Argent.”  
  
“Good night?” He asked.

“We talked, ate too much ice cream and watched the notebook.” Lydia replied.  
  
It was all a little surreal, to be honest. Lying on the sofa with her crushes arms wrapped around her whilst having a pleasant, if not slightly awkward conversation with the father of said crush.  
  
Lydia tried to shift without disturbing Allison, earning her another raised eyebrow from Chris.  
  
“Do you need a hand?”  
  
Lydia shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“I’ll put coffee on.”  
  
Lydia was thankful for him leaving, it gave her the chance to figure out how to ease herself from Allison without waking her. As soon as she was free, Allison made a quiet sleepy sound and curled up on the sofa. Lydia spent a few moments watching her, how peaceful she looked and Lydia reached forward to brush the curls from Allison's face and tucked them behind her ear.

She's so screwed.

Lydia ended up standing in the kitchen with coffee in a mug decorated to look like a whale, the handle was its tail and it’s mouth was open in a smile that looked like it could hold a cookie, there’s a chip on the rim and the paint on its eye has faded. Lydia held it carefully, the idea of breaking what might be a childhood relic of Allison’s would be the last thing she would want to do.

“It’s good to see you around again, Lydia.” Chris said. He was looking through the fridge, probably trying to find something for breakfast. “The house was quiet when you left.”

Lydia smiled down at her coffee. “I missed it.”  
  
“Honestly, I’m surprised i haven’t come home to find a blanket fort in the living room yet. Do you remember those?”  
  
How could she forget?  
  
“Yeah, I don’t know if Allison does though.”  
  
Chris chuckled and closed the fridge, empty handed. “You’d be surprised.”  
  
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Lydia replied. “Allison always manages to surprise me.”  
  
Chris gave her a knowing look. “You’re not the only one.” He said, hesitating for a moment but disguising it with a long sip of his coffee. “I don’t pretend to understand half of the things she talks about or believes in, but I try. We don’t always see eye to eye either, but what do i know? The world changes so much every day and all i can do is try to keep up. I’m just lucky to have Allison there to explain it to me and for Danny to always have power points for when it gets a little complicated.”  
  
Lydia wanted to laugh. “Danny loves his power points.”  
  
“I’d offer to make you pancakes, but truth be told, I’m not very good at them.” Chris admitted. “Allison is the breakfast guru in this apartment.”  
  
Lydia shot a quick glance towards the living room, she wasn’t sure of the boundaries and how much she could say but she chose to throw caution to the wind.  
  
“She told me about how she lost her hearing.”  
  
Chris nodded. “I know, she told me she was going to tell you yesterday. I’m guessing it went okay?”  
  
Lydia nodded. “I just wanted to say, you raised an amazing child. She’s so strong.”  
  
“Her strength is her own. I don’t know where she got it from, but I’m proud of her. I’m proud of what she wants to do.”  
  
“Her energy is contagious.” Lydia replied, she wanted to say more but forced herself to stop when she saw Chris giving her a long look. She couldn’t place it but it felt like he was scrutinising her, trying to read into her soul and find out her secrets.  
  
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Lydia. But Allison is really glad that you’re back. She cares a great deal about you.”  
  
Lydia ducked her head. It almost felt like the next words out of his mouth could be ‘so don’t hurt my daughter’ but Lydia knew that was only her subconscious projecting, that she was reading into everything far too much.

“Morning.” Allison yawned, padding into the kitchen with the blanket still wrapped around her. Her eyes were dark and docile with sleep and with the way her curls are dishevelled she once again managed to remind Lydia of a puppy. “What’re we talking about?”  
  
“Do you remember your blanket forts?” Chris asked.  
  
Allison made a sound and stole Lydia’s coffee from her, taking a long sip and letting out a pleased hum.  
  
“Hey!” Lydia protested.  
  
“Sorry little bird.” Allison mumbled, pressing the mug back into her hand and giving her a quick side hug. “Of course i remember the blanket forts, they were my favourite thing ever.”  
  
“Really?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison nodded. “They were like our own little world, it made me feel safe.”

“It's also a lot cleaner than camping.” He looked over to Lydia. “Just make sure you spray the tent with mosquito spray, Allison tends to forget.”

Lydia nodded. She hadn't thought about the possibility that Chris would think they'd be sharing a tent. Lydia had figured that Allison would want to share with Derek or Isaac.

“I won't forget.” Allison replied, giving her father a light shove. He seemed to take it as a sign and left the kitchen with a small laugh.

Lydia leaned against a counter as Allison finally found a mug of her own and filled it with coffee.

“If you want, you can borrow something of mine.” Allison said. “If you don't want to go home in what you slept in.”

Lydia plucked at her blouse. “That'd be great, thank you.” She hesitated for a moment.She didn't really want to go home yet.

There must be something on her face that signalled this to Allison because she made a thoughtful sound.

“Wanna see if anyone wants to go see a movie?”

Lydia nodded.

“Awesome, let me make breakfast and then we’ll find something for you to borrow and call the others.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“So that’s the place we’re heading to.” Danny said, closing his laptop and pushing it to one side. “It’ll take about three hours, give or take, to drive there.”  
  
“Who’s going with who?” Boyd asked.  
  
They were all in the backyard of the Hale house. Lydia, Danny, Boyd and Kira had opted to sit off to one side while most of the others played an impromptu game of football. Save for Isaac and Scott, who’d gone for a walk with Talia.  
  
It was weird, how easily things had returned to normal, after the night at Allison’s, Lydia had started to open up more about her time in LA, much to the support of everyone else. The support was almost overwhelming even though nobody ever pushed the subject, but they had all taken the time to make sure Lydia knew she could talk to them.  
  
It would take a while to get used to, even longer for Lydia to feel comfortable opening up about everything going on in her mind, but she knew they'd help her with that.

“Well if you’re taking your truck we can pack most of the stuff into the back of that.” Danny said. “And I mean, you’ll drive with Erica and Cora, Isaac too?”  
  
Boyd nodded. “Most likely.”  
  
“Stiles can drive himself, Malia, Scott and Kira. Derek can bring me and Ethan-”  
  
“Is Aiden not coming?” Boyd asked.  
  
Danny laughed. “Definitely not. Cora would drown him, probably.”  
  
“So that means Allison and Lydia can ride together.” Boyd finished.  
  
“Yep.” Danny turned to Lydia. “Is that okay?”  
  
“Yeah totally. Why wouldn’t it be okay? It’s fine.”  
  
Boyd and Danny gave her a long look before glancing at each other.  
  
“Anyway…” Danny cleared his throat. “Derek has been there before and one of their uncles lives in the town that’s a few miles away apparently. So if anything happens we’ll be covered.”  
  
“I know first aid, anyway.” Lydia shrugged.  
  
“That’s good. Because somebody is going to get hurt.” Boyd said.  
  
“Most likely Allison or Malia.”

“Both.”  
  
Danny narrowed his eyes at Boyd. “Ten dollars on Allison.”

“Starting from when we get to the campsite.”  
  
“Deal.”  
  
The two shook hands and Lydia could only gape at them both. “Do you often make bets on your friends?”  
  
“Occasionally.” Danny replied. “It’s nothing malicious, don’t worry.”  
  
“Malicious isn’t a word i would use to associate with this group.” Lydia said. “What other bets do you have?”  
  
“How long until Stiles’ jeep finally bites the dust.” Boyd grinned, he leaned back against the grass and closed his eyes to shield them from the sun. “Malia is closest, they think it’ll be by the end of the summer. Scott thinks it’ll last until college graduation.”

“We all put in twenty dollars.” Danny continued. “You want in?”  
  
“Definitely.” Lydia nodded.  
  
“Remind me next time you’re at mine, that’s where the jar is.

There was the wince inducing sound of people crashing into each other, immediately followed by a yelp and a choir of ‘ouch’.  
  
Lydia, Boyd and Danny all looked over in time to see Derek lifting a pouting Allison off of the ground and begin to carry her towards them.

“You’re an idiot.” Derek sighed as they got closer.  
  
“You’re the one who’s basically a tank!” Allison protested.

“And yet you chose to run full speed into me.” Derek said.  
  
Allison’s pout only intensified. “Lydiaaa.” She whined. “Derek is being mean.”  
  
Derek raised an eyebrow and Lydia felt her own lips quirk of their own accord. “Is he? Is that why he’s carrying you?”  
  
“Exactly.” Allison nodded, her eyes sparkled as Derek huffed, setting her down beside Lydia.

“Did you hurt anything?” Boyd asked.  
  
“Only my pride.” Allison replied dramatically, immediately shuffling so that she could lean back against Lydia’s shoulder and let out a pleased sigh. “And also my head.”  
  
Cora appeared beside Derek and crouched down to hand Allison an ice pack. “In your defence, he came from your blind spot.”  
  
Allison reached up to press the ice pack to her head, instantly flinching away from the sudden cold and leaning heavily against Lydia. The angle looked a bit uncomfortable for Allison’s arm so Lydia eased the ice pack from her hand and held it in place.  
  
“Hold, don’t press.” Derek said.  
  
“You do this often?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Enough to own several ice packs.” Cora replied. “Come on loser, we’re still winning.” She tugged on Derek’s arm to lead him back to the game.  
  
“So, how are we all?” Allison asked. “Anything new?”  
  
“We were just talking about camping plans.” Danny said. “Who’s driving with who and stuff.”  
  
“Oh neat.” Allison tipped her head back more, a curl of her hair brushed against Lydia’s jaw and definitely did _not_ make her shiver. “Do we have enough tents and stuff?”

“Providing we make like Noah's ark and go in two by two.” Boyd replied. “Then yes.”  
  
Allison threw her head back and laughed, even though it jostled the ice pack and she immediately whined again. Even Lydia had to duck her head to laugh.  
  
“That was terrible Boyd. Truly terrible.” Danny said, even though he was grinning.  
  
“Do we buy food to take with us or get stuff on the way?” Allison asked once she recovered.  
  
“Probably both? I don’t know.” Danny shrugged.  
  
Allison hummed and made herself more comfortable against Lydia’s shoulder. “Are you okay with sharing tent with me?” She asked quietly.  
  
“Yeah.” Lydia replied. “Are you?”  
  
“Am i okay with sharing a tent with myself?” Allison asked. She laughed. “No, yeah, I know what you mean. Yeah it’s fine.”

   
By the time Scott, Isaac and Talia came back, the game had reached new levels of competitiveness while Allison had opted to doze lightly against Lydia’s shoulder, after Lydia’s hand had gone numb, Danny had taken up ice pack duty.

“Damn, who did she hit?” Isaac asked.  
  
“Derek.”  
  
Scott made a sympathetic sound. “Yeah that makes sense.”

“Hey Lydia, you can braid hair right?” Isaac asked.  
  
“Yeah, why?”  
  
Isaac glanced down at their feet and held out their hands, it was then Lydia spotted the bright coloured flowers in their hands. “Could you braid these into mine?”

Lydia glanced at Allison, unsure of how to proceed without waking her. “Sure, just let me-”  
  
“We’ve got it.” Scott said, already easing Allison off of her and towards Boyd. Allison didn’t even seem to notice, she just nuzzled against him. Scott gave her head a soft pat before sitting down with them. “We brought loads of flowers, Talia had to make sure we didn’t accidentally bring back anything poisonous.”  
  
Isaac set the flowers down and Scott immediately set to work separating them by colour and type. Honestly, Lydia was just impressed at how many flowers they’d both picked.

Lydia pat the ground in front of her for Isaac to sit down, one they did she ran her fingers through their hair, parting it into sections.  
  
“Okay, what colours do you want?”  
  
“Blue and purple.”  
  
“Scott can you-”  
  
“I’ve got it.” Danny said, moving closer. “Scott, are you making a flower crown?”  
  
Scott hummed, Lydia looked over to where he was counting out the pink flowers.  
  
“Do you want one?” He asked Danny.  
  
“Dude, of course.”  
  
“What colour?”  
  
“Surprise me.”  
  
Lydia shook her head, smiling to herself as she began to braid Isaac’s hair. It took less than ten minutes to do and by the time she had finished, Scott had finished making a crown for Danny and was in the process of making his own while he showed Boyd what to do.  
  


When the others had realised what they were doing, Kira, Derek and Cora set out to go collect more flowers while they sent Stiles and Malia on the lunch run.

Lydia didn’t know if Allison had sensed that food was coming or what, but she chose to wake up just as more flowers were added to the pile. Lydia wished she could have taken a picture of Allison’s confused expression as she realised that a third of the group currently had flowers in their hair.

“Am I dreaming? Are we forest sprites now?”

“Do you often dream that we’re forest sprites?” Cora asked.  
  
Allison yawned into her fist. “Well usually Derek is a centaur and there are a lot more unicorns.”

“Wait, what?” Derek looked up.  
  
“ _More_ unicorns?” Erica repeated.  
  
Allison ignored them and turned to Isaac. “Holy shit you look amazing.”  
  
Isaac blushed. “Thank you, Lydia did it.”  
  
Allison beamed at Lydia. “You’re amazing.”

Lydia blushed too and glanced down, brushing a few blades of grass from her knee.  
  
“But you need some flowers too.” She rose up onto her knees and shuffled closer. Lydia had left her hair down and straight today and now Allison was toying with the ends of it. “I can braid some in, if you like?”

Lydia nodded. “Okay.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Allison surveyed the flowers and Lydia before grabbing the daisies and moving around Lydia’s back, adjusting herself until her knees bracketed Lydia’s waist.

Lydia may or may not have forgotten how to breathe.

Allison stroked her hand through Lydia’s hair a few times. “I’m thinking a crown braid?”  
  
Lydia nodded, her gaze dropped to her hands. “Whatever you think is best. Can I make you a flower crown?” Anything to keep her hands busy, to be honest.  
  
Allison chuckled and the sound was so close to her ear she had to force herself not to jerk. She saw Kira flash her a look from the corner of her eye.  
  
“Sure, can it be purple?” Allison asked.  
  
“I can work with that.”

With her attention focused on making the crown, it was a little easier to not focus on every brush of Allison’s fingers against the back of her neck or the soft, melodic laughter from the girl whenever somebody said anything she found funny.

Her fingers were still shaking around the last parts of the crown when Allison announced that she was done, pulling away and making Lydia immediately notice the lack of heat behind her.  
  
“Just give me a sec…” Lydia murmured, she didn’t dare look up from the crown until she was sure that it was finished.

“Stiles! Malia!” Erica yelled. “About time!”

“We made you both crowns!” Scott added.  
  
“Done.” Lydia announced, looking up to search for Allison only to find her on her right side. “Hey.”  
  
Allison smiled softly. “Hey.”  
  
Lydia held up the crown, waiting for Allison to take it, instead, the girl bowed her head slightly. A clear indicator that she wanted Lydia to place the crown on her. Lydia did so carefully, arranging her curls so that they fell perfectly.  
  
“How do i look?” Allison asked.  
  
Lydia took a moment to study her, the bright purple flowers standing out starkly against Allison’s dark hair and pale skin.  
  
“You look great.”  
  
Allison beamed. “You too.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and switched the front facing camera on, holding it out for Lydia.  
  
Lydia felt a little speechless, the white flowers braided effortless into her hair, Lydia tentatively reached up to touch them, fingers brushing the soft petals. “Thank you Allison, it looks amazing.”  
  
  
A few months ago, Lydia probably would have laughed at the idea of eating burgers and fries in the backyard of someone's house with eleven other people all of whom were wearing flower crowns of some design, it’s definitely something she never would have thought would happen. But in that moment, it felt entirely natural and there wasn’t a thing she would change about it.  
  
Danny had opened his laptop back up to play music for them all while they took pictures and talked about the imminent camping trip and what else they could all do once they returned home. It was conversations like this that made Lydia wish for the summer to never end. It was a feeling that she wanted to bottle up and keep forever.  
  
“What!?” Allison gasped, outraged, pulling Lydia from her thoughts. “Erica I can totally lift a person are you kidding me?” She gestured so wildly with her hand that she almost knocked over her milkshake, she probably would have too if not for Kira, who quickly moved it out of the way.  
  
“No way.” Erica laughed. “You’re too clumsy, you’d either drop them or you’d both fall over.”  
  
“Nu-uh.”  
  
“Yu-huh.”  
  
Derek facepalmed. “Please don’t do this again.”  
  
Lydia got the impression that this was something that happened frequently.

“Prove it.” Erica said.  
  
Allison lifted her chin slightly, eyes narrowing in what Lydia could only assume was a challenging expression. “Fine. Who am I lifting?”  
  
Erica tapped her chin thoughtfully and looked around the group, her gaze lingered on Derek for a long moment and she smirked like she knew that she would just be setting Allison up for a fall, before her gaze settled on Lydia.  
  
“Lydia.”  
  
Lydia and Allison looked at each other and it occurred to Lydia that it was incredibly likely that none of them knew that it was only a few days ago that Allison literally carried Lydia home which gave Allison a pretty good advantage.  
  
Allison didn’t say anything, just tilted her head questioningly at her.  
  
Lydia set down her bottle of water. “Sure, i’ll do it.”  
  
“Awesome.” Erica clapped her hands together as the two of them stood up. “And none of that easy lifting crap, I want you to run at her, Lydia.”  
  
“Run?”  
  
“Run. Dirty dancing style.”  
  
Allison looked as alarmed as Lydia felt. “We’re not doing it dirty dancing style!”  
  
“What’s the matter Argent? Not having the time of your life?” Erica asked.  
  
“That was terrible.” Cora sighed.  
  
Erica waved a dismissive hand. “Fine, fine. Just run and catch.”  
  
Allison hesitated and walked a few feet away, far enough so that they wouldn’t land on the group on the off chance that Allison _did_ fuck up.  
  
Now Lydia felt a little unsure, not because of Allison’s ability, but more because of the audience she found herself with. Friends or not, the only time Lydia had planned on letting people see her run was in the event of a zombie apocalypse.  
  
“You ready?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison reached up to adjust her flower crown, of all things, and nodded. “Whenever you are.”

Lydia could tell by Allison’s expression that her own must be saying something along the lines of _‘please don’t drop me’_ because she smiled in that way that showed her dimples and always managed to make Lydia feel at ease. It reminded her of the night at the school, Allison had promised to catch her then, she’d do it now.

Lydia cursed inwardly and ran towards Allison, or, as much as a run as she could manage in her dress and the shoes she was wearing. She didn’t try to think too much into it but soon as she was close enough, she threw her arms around Allison’s neck (she tried to rationalise it to herself that it would take some of the pressure off of Allison) and all but jumped into the girl, kicking her legs back as Allison wrapped one arm around Lydia’s waist, the other pulling her closer and coming to rest on Lydia’s shoulder.  
  
She tucked her face against Allison’s shoulder as she felt Allison spin them around, the rush of air making the music and the sounds of the group fade into a pleasant haze.  
  
When they finally stopped moving and Lydia’s feet touched the ground once more, it took Lydia a moment to lift her head from where it was tucked against her neck. The hand on her shoulder dropped to join the one at her waist as Lydia pulled back to look up at the girl in front of her.  
  
Allison’s cheeks were red, no doubt because of the lifting and spinning and her eyes were bright against the sunlight. The crown of flowers hadn’t moved so much as an inch, bright purple standing out against dark hair and Lydia couldn’t help but compare her to a forest spirit, something otherworldly and ethereal. Nobody can be so beautiful and be human.  
  
“See?” Allison said quietly. “I’ve got you.”  
  
Lydia nodded, she wasn’t entirely sure that her voice would work and she didn’t dare try it.  
  
Allison kept staring and Lydia could feel her touch burning into her.  
  
“Good work Argent!” Erica called, loud enough to make them startle apart.  
  
Allison rubbed the back of her neck, glancing past Lydia at the rest of the group. “Told you i could do it.”  
  
Erica grinned, Lydia could see it even from a few feet away. “You sure did. Also Stiles ate your curly fries.”  
  
“Erica!” Stiles shrieked as Allison gasped.  
  
Lydia didn’t think she’d ever seen Stiles run so fast in all of the time she’s known him. Allison laughed as she slowly eased back from Lydia, hand brushing along her wrist.  
  
“You can have some of mine if you like?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison smiled and linked their hands together. “That’s okay Lyds. Come on, before Erica comes up with more shenanigans.”  
  
Lydia found that she didn’t really mind that. She reached up to adjust Allison’s crown and let her lead them back to where the group were waiting for them.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friday or Saturday for chapter 11, stay safe i love you all!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have anything to put here but it feels weird to leave the space blank  
> Happy Friday and how about those olympics

 

“You've got your phone?” Her mother asked.

“And my charger.” Lydia replied, she didn't look up from her bag as she continued to run over the checklist in her mind. “Don't worry.”

“My only daughter is going camping with people I barely know.” Natalie muttered. “What's there to be worried about?”

“You'd know more if you actually asked me about them occasionally instead of always being with whatever socialites you’ve met.” Lydia said. She zipped up her bag, satisfied she had everything. Now she just had to wait for Danny to pick her up and take her to the Hale house where everyone else was meeting.

“There's nothing wrong with my friends.”

Lydia looked over at her mother. “Likewise.”

Her mother fell silent, and Lydia went back to checking her bag, just for something to do. It was early, after a few little arguments and a coin toss they'd all agreed to leave as early as possible to avoid driving in the worst of the heat and to get to the campsite with enough time left so that the day didn't feel wasted on travel.

Lydia had been surprised to find her mother already up when she had walked down the stairs.

They sat in silence until they heard the telltale sound of a car pulling up outside and her phone chiming with a message not a moment later.

“That's my ride.” Lydia said, rising to her feet and lifting her bag, pausing to grab her (Allison's) denim jacket on her way towards the door. “I’ll see you in a few days.”  
  
She tried not to be bothered by the lack of a response.  
  
  
  
“Are you sure you know where you're going?” Derek asked. He turned to Allison, who was in the process of inhaling a coffee while she leant against her car.

“I just have to follow you guys. No big deal.”

Derek sighed and she flashed him a sleepy smile.

“Don't worry Der, I have a map. And Siri,” She wrapped her arms around Lydia. “And Lydia!” She added proudly.

Derek looked over at Lydia, she shrugged. She only had a vague idea about where they were going.

“You can be in the middle. Stiles will take up the rear.” He pointed a finger at Allison. “Don't make a joke.”

She held up a hand in surrender. “Wasn't gonna.” She waited until he'd walked away before turning to Lydia. “I have like five jokes but no energy for the punchline.”

“It's the thought that counts.” Lydia said, patting Allison’s shoulder consolingly.

Melissa’s car pulled up a few moments later, an excited looking Scott and Isaac clambering out of the car (though not before they both leaned over to kiss the woman’s cheek, Allison and Cora both gasped when they saw that Isaac was holding a box of cookies, they both immediately tried to run towards Isaac only to have Cora effortlessly shove Allison easily to one side.

“Do all Hale’s have super strength?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Yes.” Allison pushed herself from the car, groaning. “You should see Laura, not even Derek could win against her.”  
  
“That’s terrifying.” Lydia replied. Honestly, the Hales may as well be vampires or werewolves or something fucking stupid like that.

“What’s terrifying?” Isaac asked, looking between them both. “Also, hey, male pronouns today.”  
  
“Hey,” Allison greeted. “And we’re talking about the Hale super strength.”  
  
“Ah.” He nodded. “Ninety percent chance that they’re like mutants or something.”

“I heard that!” Derek yelled.  
  
“Yeah, with your super hearing!” Allison yelled back. “Did Melissa make cookies?”  
  
Isaac grinned. “You know she did. Road trip cookies are the best cookies.”  
  
Allison laughed. “I am so ready to get this show on the road.”  
  
  
  
They’d been driving for what felt like an hour, the sky is a perfect shade of blue, they’ve rolled down their windows and Allison is wearing an open flannel with the sleeves rolled up and a dark pair of sunglasses while Twenty One Pilots played loudly.  
  
Lydia may or may not have videoed some of it to post to her instagram later (with Allison’s permission).

Ahead of them, Lydia could see Boyd’s truck and if she really tried then she could just make out the sight of Derek’s car in the distance.

“I want ice cream.” Allison sighed. “Is it too early for ice cream?”  
  
“It’s never too soon for ice cream.” Lydia replied. Honestly she could go for some herself, or some soda. Something to take the edge off of the steadily building heat.  
  
Allison lifted up her sunglasses and turned her head towards Lydia, giving her the puppy dog eyes. Lydia had to groan internally, she knew exactly what Allison was going to ask her to do.  
  
“I’ll call Danny and see if we can take a break soon.” Lydia said.  
  
Allison grinned. “You’re the best.”  
  
  
  
“How much longer until we get there?” Lydia asked.  
  
Kira shrugged. “Not long? We’ve probably crossed the halfway point.”  
  
Lydia had missed the name of the town they’d stopped in, but there was some form of market going on. She’d lost half of the group immediately, all wanting to go and explore the various stalls. Kira and Lydia had stuck by a park bench, the designated meeting spot for everyone. She’d looked at the stalls briefly, sampled some homemade jams, it was the equivalent of a farmers market but she had gotten bored. Lydia was happy enough looking for glimpses of her friends as they explored.  
  
“We only wanted ice cream.” Lydia sighed.

“If Allison wants ice cream, you know she’ll find it.” Kira said. “Does she know what your favourite flavour is?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia replied.  “The last time we ate ice cream i made sure to buy her favourite.”  
  
Also because Lydia could never seem to find her favourite whenever she’d gone to get ice cream.  
  
The last time they’d seen Allison, she was with Isaac as they both checked out a stall that had an alarming amount of candles. Lydia had caught sight of various gemstones too, bright and shiny. Sometimes she thought Allison and Isaac were both ravens or something, attracted to shiny things.

Kira pulled out her phone. “Everyone should be heading back soon. Derek is going to be pissed that they got distracted by this place.”  
  
Lydia smiled, that was certainly an understatement. It had all been his idea to leave early in the first place and now he’d lost most of the group in a market.  
  
She couldn’t tell if it was hilarious or tragic.

Kira nudged Lydia’s elbow. “Allison and Isaac.”  
  
Lydia followed her gaze through the crowd and spotted the two of them coming towards them, they both held ice cream cones in their hands and Allison looked more than a little self satisfied by it.  
  
“Told you i’d find it eventually.” Allison grinned once she reached them.  
  
“Congratulations.” Lydia said.  
  
Allison held out a cone towards her. “They had butterscotch.”  
  
Lydia stared up at her and Allison gave a small shrug.  
  
“You mentioned once that nowhere seemed to have it.”  
  
“Yeah… But that was… Forever ago.”  
  
Allison shrugged again and Kira made a sound beside her, like she had just realised something of her own. Allison raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
“Nothing.” Kira squeaked. She looked down at her phone. “Oh, look at that. Scott is texting.”  
  
“Smooth, Kira.” Isaac mumbled.  
  
Lydia took the ice cream from Allison and smiled. “Thank you, Allison.”  
  
Allison dropped down into the seat beside Lydia. “No problem. We saw everyone else on the way back, too. They’re getting ice cream.”  
  
  
  
By the time they reached the car, Allison had finally recovered from her brain freeze. Lydia watched her switch on the engine and rummage through her collection of CD’s before putting one in. Erica high fived Lydia through the window as she passed to go back to Boyd’s truck.

“Oh!” Allison exclaimed suddenly. Lydia whipped her head around and watched Allison begin patting at the pockets of her jeans. She pulled out a small, white paper bag. “I got you this.”  
  
She pushed the bag into Lydia’s hands, inside, Lydia could feel something small, solid and somewhat round.  
  
“What is it?”

“Open it.”  
  
Lydia opened the bag and tipped it, the object falling into the palm of her hand. It was a gemstone, at first glance it almost looked white, until Lydia lifted it to get a closer look and found that as soon as the sun hit it, it exploded into a myriad of colour. When she turned it just right, it gave off an almost orange glow, it was like sunlight had been trapped within.  
  
“It’s opalite.” Allison said. “I saw it and thought of you.”  
  
“Allison… It’s gorgeous.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Lydia could stare at it forever, the way each different angle seemed made it seem like a different stone.  
  
“Thank you, I love it.”  
  
Allison smiled, ducking her head briefly and putting the car into gear. Lydia stroked her thumb over the smooth stone before she leaned forward to set it on the dashboard.

It wasn’t until Allison had begun to drive did Lydia startle and snap her gaze over to Allison.

Did Allison just call her gorgeous?

The campsite was _stunning._ The spot was huge, trees surrounded them from all directions and Lydia knew that just beyond them, the ground dropped and gave way to a lake that looked stunning from the pictures Danny had shown her on his laptop.  
  
The competitive nature of the group had shone through once again as now they’d all made a bet on who could build their tent the fastest. Lydia knew that she could have probably helped Allison, somehow. But she’d immediately gotten distracted by Allison’s arms as she began to set up the tent.  
  
Derek had cheated, throwing out a pop up tent and grinning as everybody else gaped at him.

“What?” He asked innocently.

“Traitor.” Cora said.

“Lydia,” Erica called. She was grabbing bags from the bed of Boyd's truck. “Give me a hand?”

“Sure, no problem.” She leaned into Allison's car to grab the opalite so that she could put it into her pocket.

Together they carried the cooler to the centre of the camp, Scott and Kira were being a sickeningly perfect couple as they built their tent together, Boyd and Cora seemed to be having considerably less success, which was probably why Erica had decided to busy herself with bringing bags to the site. They still had to put up Boyd and Isaac’s tent yet.

“I should probably say this now…” Derek began, raising his voice so that most people stopped in their efforts at building their tents. “Sound travels really, _really_ well. So if you plan on having sex, it doesn't matter how quiet you think you're being, we will _all_ hear you.”

There was a _thwip_ sound followed by a pained yelp. It was a sound Lydia was becoming alarmingly familiar with and when she looked over, she wasn't at all surprised to see Allison rubbing her face, tent pole in her other hand.

“Are you okay?” Lydia asked, dropping everything and practically running to Allison, barely resisting the urge to take Allison’s face in her hands to check her injury.

Allison gestured vaguely to the pole in her hand, there was a distinct red streak across her face from where she'd hit herself in the face.

“I'll live, it's fine.” She glared at Danny as Boyd handed him ten dollars. “Rude.”

Danny shrugged. “I'll buy you ice cream when we go back into town.”

“Deal.”

“Do you want help with that?” Ethan asked, pointing to Allison and Lydia's tent.”

Allison nodded. “Yes please and thank you.”  
  


The rest of the day passed with setting up their camp and exploring the space around them.

The lake was _beautiful_ and Lydia can't wait until she can go down to swim in it.

By the time she crawled into her sleeping bag long past midnight, Lydia knew that their time at the camp was going to fly by.

“My body aches.” Allison groaned quietly, burrowing into her sleeping bag until Lydia could barely see her face.

“You did good though.” Lydia replied.”it's been a long day.”

Allison hummed. “I guess.”

“Are you going to come swimming tomorrow?”

“Probably.” Allison rolled onto her back. “At some point.”

“There's plenty of time.” Lydia said. “And loads to do.”

“Yeah.” Allison agreed. “I hope the weather holds up, i brought a book to read though just in case.”  
  
Lydia cursed inwardly, of course the one thing she’d forget would be a book to read in her downtime. Her only other option was her sketchbook, but she didn’t really trust herself to feel comfortable enough to draw while in the presence of the others.

“Maybe we’ll find somewhere to drive to nearby.” Allison shrugged eventually. “I know Derek was talking about maybe driving in at some point.”

Lydia nodded slowly, Allison probably wanted to spend more time with Derek, she hadn’t seen him much recently.

A low moan passed over the camp and Lydia froze in place. Allison laughed suddenly, and loudly. Lydia covered her mouth with her hand to conceal her own laugh.  
  
“Night Lyds,” Allison laughed. “try not to let the sex ghosts keep you up all night.”

“Night, Alli.” Lydia replied.

Lydia couldn’t be sure if Allison had fallen asleep, but she didn’t dare look over to find out.  
  
  


“Do you want to be a photographer?” Lydia asked.

She’d taken a break from swimming and joined Kira and Isaac on the dock, the latter of the two was asleep, using a towel as a pillow. Kira had pulled out her camera to take pictures of the rest of the group as they chased each other through the water.  
  
Lydia loved Kira’s pictures, she had so many of them pinned to the wall in her room now. Pictures of the whole group, she cherished them all and she knew that Kira would only post the pictures to her social media with everyone's approval.

Kira looked down at her camera and smiled sheepishly. “Maybe. I don’t know if i could go anywhere with it though.”  
  
“You could!” Lydia replied. “I mean it, there’s college and there has to be competitions or something you can enter.”  
  
“You sound like Scott and Allison.” Kira laughed. “Very pro ‘follow your dreams’.”  
  
“Well they’re right.” Lydia shrugged, dropping her legs to let her feet dangle in the water, if she focused hard enough, she could see lots of small fish trying to nibble at her toes.  
  
“What do you want to do?” Kira asked.  
  
“I always said i wanted to win a fields medal.” Lydia said. “Go to an amazing college…” She sighed. “I wanted to get far away but now… Now I don’t know.”

“You’re not alone there, i don’t think most of us know what we’re going to do.”  
  
“Scott’s going to be a vet.” Lydia said.  
  
Kira nodded, laughing. “Okay, yeah. Scott’s going to be a vet. But look at Derek, he leaves for college at the end of the summer and he’s playing it entirely by ear.”

“Where’s he going again?”  
  
“New York, it’s where Laura lives.”  
  
No wonder Allison wanted to spend as much time with him as she can, in a few weeks he’s going to be on the other side of the country.

“I think he’d make a good doctor.” Lydia replied.  
  
“Probably.” Kira agreed. “But see? You’re not the only one who feels uncertain with it all.”

“What do you think Allison is going to do?” Lydia asked, she didn’t mean to drag the conversation back to the girl, but she was also curious about how the others saw her.

“Honestly? I have no idea. As long as i’ve known her, I always figured that there’s nothing she can’t handle, I felt like i couldn’t handle anything. That’s part of why i fell for her when we met.” Kira said. “For all her dorkiness, she has this… Energy. Allison can do anything, she just needs to narrow down her own options and focus.” Kira smiled to herself. “She’s like... If Enjorlas from Les Mis and Ferris Bueller had a kid.”  
  
“That’s one of the weirdest things anyone has ever said to describe another person.” Isaac muttered, rubbing their eyes as they sat up and yawned.  
  
“But also pretty accurate.” Lydia added.  
  
It was the first time in a long time that Lydia was reminded of the fact that Allison and Kira actually used to date, that Kira probably knew all of Allison’s habits perfectly, her likes and dislikes. It’s weird knowing she could ask about that stuff and potentially get an answer.

“What was it like dating somebody with that much energy?” Isaac asked.

Isaac, apparently, didn’t feel weird about it at all.  
  
Kira blushed a bit and shrugged. “I- Allison was great. She was a great girlfriend.”  
  
“Good kisser?”  
  
Kira swatted Isaac. “Behave. I don’t kiss and tell.”  
  
“You should.” Isaac murmured.

Kira leaned back on her hands, watching their friends swimming in the lake. "I'm glad with how things are worked out though. Me and Scott are happy together, Allison is the happiest i've seen her in a long time, things are... hopefully going good places."  
  
The knowledge that Allison is happy warmed Lydia's heart, she dared to hope that she was at least part of the cause of that happiness, Lydia knew that she was definitely the happiest she had been in years.

Isaac made a thoughtful sound. “Cute. Sounds like the perfect girlfriend.” They said. “Are you guys heading back into the water? I kinda want to head up to camp and get a snack.”

“I could go for some food.” Lydia replied.  
  
“Mmm same.” Kira agreed. “Should we tell the others?” She asked, gesturing to the group still playing in the lake.  
  
“They’ll figure it out.” Isaac shrugged, getting up and draping their towel over their shoulders. “You two coming?”

“Yeah, we’re coming.” Kira replied.  
  


Once they'd eaten dinner, there was little more they wanted to do besides sit around the campfire and watch the sky turn dark around them as they swapped stories.

Across the flames, Lydia watched Allison leaning into Derek as she stared up at the sky. Lydia was certain that she could see Allison getting happier with the more stars she could see.

“I'm just saying, if you don't think there's aliens out there, you're a fucking idiot.” Malia shrugged.

They'd been talking about aliens for the past twenty minutes, a conversation that had followed into talk of their favourite horror movies. Lydia was thankful that the conversation hadn't shifted into horror stories yet.

“The truth is out there.” Stiles added, nodding solemnly.

“Fucking love that show.” Erica sighed. “We should try and marathon it when we get back.”

“We still need to watch all of the Star Wars movies, like, with no breaks.”

“What about sleep?” Scott asked.

“Sleep is for the weak.” Stiles replied.

Allison laughed. “Humans do occasionally need sleep, Stiles.”

She met Lydia's gaze over the flames and smiled, it took Lydia a moment to reciprocate.

“When can we make s’mores?” Ethan asked. A breeze passed through the camp and Lydia couldn't help but smile as Danny not so subtly tried to snuggle closer to his boyfriend.

“Soon.” Derek replied. “We don't have a whole lot considering some of _us,_ ” he pointedly glared around the camp. “Decided to see who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouth.”

“I refuse to feel guilty.” Cora huffed. “I earned that title and I wear it with pride.”

“I know you do.” Isaac replied, patting her hair fondly.

The group was silent for a few seconds before Scott cleared his throat.

“ _Now_ can we have s’mores?”

Even after two s'mores and shuffling as close to the fire as possible without the risking the flames singing her skin, Lydia was still cold. She knew she should probably head into her tent to grab something warmer but she couldn't bring herself to leave the company of the group, not even for a minute. Not when they're trading stories like this.

“Oh my god I just thought of the best one.” Stiles clapped his hands together.

Everybody looked over to him and he slowly grinned, shifting slightly so that they could see him. Lydia shivered again and she was faintly aware of someone adding another log to the fire.

“So Allison has to go to the dentist right-” immediately everybody made sounds of recognition, save for Allison, who groaned and used her hand on Derek's shoulder to push herself to her feet.

“Yeah I'll be right back.” She said, shaking her head and laughing quietly.

Lydia turned her head to watch her go but was drawn back by the sound of Stiles continuing.

“It's a great story Lydia, trust me. Okay so Allison had a dentist appointment and because her dad had to work I offered to drive her because I'm a wonderful fucking human being-”

“Stiles, get to the point.” Malia groaned.

“Anyway, Allison gets a fucking wisdom tooth pulled and she's high as a freaking kite. I mean for a while she was okay, just a little dazed and she didn't say much but the _second_ we leave she wants a milkshake and she will not stop talking about milkshakes and who invented them and _why_ they invented them. So I drive her to get a milkshake and I explained the whole deal to Andy at the diner and he gives Allison some stickers and i shit you not, she cried.”

Erica startled to laugh beside her. “I fucking love this story.” She mumbled.

“I order Allison's milkshake for her because she just completely zoned out because the concept of a menu was blowing her mind.” Stiles continued. “I look over my shoulder to check on her and she's gone.”

“Oh my god.” Lydia said.

Something soft brushed against her side and she tore her gaze away from Stiles and Malia to her right, eyes falling on Allison and the hoody she was holding out to Lydia expectantly.

“Are you sure?” Lydia asked.

“You look cold.” Allison replied easily, she gestured to the space between Lydia and Erica. “Can I?”

Lydia nodded. “Please.” She saw Erica raise an eyebrow. “Do. Please do.”

Allison was too busy swatting at Erica’s shoulder. “Scooch over.”

“Ooh, bossy.” Erica smirked.

“Down girl.” Allison said, dropping down in between them.

While Allison's back was to her, Lydia pulled on the hoody. At this point she was pretty sure she spent more time wearing it than Allison did.

“Anyway!” Stiles announced loudly.

“Are you still telling this story?” Allison asked. “Can we tell horror stories instead?”

“Shut up I'm almost done.” Stiles waved a hand. “Anyway, I lose Allison, I'm freaking the fuck out. I call Scott and it takes us almost an hour but we find her in a front yard playing with a puppy.”

“I had to carry her back.” Scott said. “Stiles filmed it.”

“We sang the backstreet boys. It was glorious.” Stiles finished.

Allison groaned and dropped her head to Lydia's shoulder to hide her face. “It was awful.”

“I’d rather just pull out my own tooth, to be honest.” Cora said. “You know like that scene in parks and rec? But like… Real.”  
  
Stiles gave Cora a long look. “You terrify me, Cora Hale.”  
  
Cora grinned. “Good.”

“Moving on…” Boyd drawled. “Who else has a story?”  
  
“Allison.” Derek said. “The last story was about you, do you have anything?”  
  
When Allison didn’t respond or show signs of acknowledgement, Lydia reached up to poke her shoulder gently. Allison lifted her head to look at Lydia. “What’s up?”  
  
“Derek wanted to know if you had a story to share, because the last one was about you.” Lydia replied.  
  
“Oh, _oh._ Sorry. Did not hear a thing.” Allison laughed, glancing away quickly. “What kind of story?”

“Any.” Scott replied. “Make something up.”  
  
Allison narrowed her eyes at him. “Right.” She sat up straighter, leaning back onto her hands and tipping her head back to stare at the stars. She stared at them thoughtfully. “So, there’s a warrior. The warrior had the dream of becoming great and joining the heroes amongst the stars, but after losing so many loved ones… The warrior was tired of the fighting and the death and … The warrior was also tired of the Gods, of feeling like a pawn in their games, so she left during the Trojan war and returned home. This angered the Gods, but the warrior didn’t care, she tried to live as quiet a life as she could, tending to the cattle and stuff-”  
  
“Dude, what kind of story is this?” Stiles asked.  
  
“Be quiet, Stiles.” Derek replied.  
  
Allison smiled. “One day, the warrior was at a market, minding her own business when her eyes fell upon a woman and she… She fell in love instantly. Their gazes met from several feet away-”  
  
“What is this, Carol: the ancient Greek edition?” Cora asked.  
  
“I will literally fight you.” Derek warned.

Allison was unfazed. “The warrior knew that such a beauty couldn’t be human, she was more beautiful than anything else the warrior had ever seen so she knew that she was a goddess. But that didn’t matter to her, none of it mattered and so the warrior approached the goddess and they fell in love, it was taboo in so many ways but their love was instant and all consuming. They tried to keep their affair a secret, as to not anger the Gods further but the warrior was horrified to find that the goddess had been sent to seduce and kill them for their betrayal during the war, except… The God’s hadn’t expected for the goddess to fall in love with the warrior.” Allison cocked her head to the side and Lydia could see her eyes tracing a constellation in the sky. “The warrior and the goddess ran but despite that, they were happy. They were together. They were in love.”  
  
“Let me guess, they don’t live happily ever after?” Kira asked, Lydia could hear a quiver in her voice.  
  
“The Gods caught up to them and the warrior fought to protect the goddess. But it was futile and all the goddess could do was watch as her love fought in the rain to within an inch of her life. As a final punishment, a curse was placed on them both. They were both forced to be reborn, time and time again, to watch the world grow old around them, for the goddess to never remember the human she gave up everything for until it was too late. For the warrior to remember _everything._ To carry a burden worse than Atlas as they ran to the edges of the earth to find the goddess, for them to take their last breath staring up at the heavens as they opened as a reminder that they will never be amongst the stars with the one they love.”  
  
Lydia was thankful that everybody else was staring at Allison, she wasn’t sure she could look away even if she wanted to.

“Holy shit Allison.” Isaac muttered. “Greek tragedy, much?”  
  
“That was the idea.” Allison replied.  

“So wait, what’s the meaning of the story?” Scott asked, he was rubbing Kira’s shoulder who was doing her best attempt at hiding the fact that she’s on the verge of tears.  
  
“The Gods are assholes and will fuck you over?” Allison suggested.  
  
“Big words coming from a catholic.” Erica said.  
  
Allison laughed sharply, turning her head towards Erica. “I don’t think being catholic has any relevance with a made up story set in Ancient Greece.”  
  
“I think it’s sad.” Kira sighed. “The warrior tried so hard and now they’re always going to be out of reach from the women she loves… Oh my God it’s worse than Icarus and the sun.” She turned to hug Scott.  
  
Allison rubbed the back of her neck, looking a little guilty. “If it’s any consolation, i don’t think the warrior would give up, she’d keep going until one of them found a way to trick the gods and break the curse so they could finally be together without worry.”

“That does help.” Kira agreed. “But it’s still sad.”  
  
“The Ancient Greeks, yo.” Stiles sighed. “They will fuck you up.”  
  
Lydia looked back over at Allison, she’d drawn a knee up to her chest, Lydia couldn’t tell if she was staring at the fire or at Derek, Kira and Scott over them. The flames danced in shadows across her skin. If Allison is the sun, then does that make Lydia her Icarus? Forever wishing to feel her warmth and all too willing to let the rays consume her?

“You know what story we should hear?” Malia said, they were grinning and Cora immediately narrowed her eyes at them. “The story of how Cora confused a cat and a skunk.”  
  
The tension in the air seemed to ease considerably as the group laughed.  
  
“You fucking-”  
  
“It’ll be my pleasure.” Derek smirked.

Everybody was saying their good nights as they prepared to turn in for the night. Lydia stretched, feeling her muscles protest after being sat in one position for so long.  
  
A hand touched her back and she turned to see Erica. “Night, Lydia.” She said, bumping their shoulders together.  
  
“Yeah, you too.”

Erica smiled and nodded towards the dying fire where Allison was still sat. “Don’t let Argent stay up for too long.”  
  
Lydia frowned but nodded too. “I won’t?”

Erica winked and walked away, calling out a quiet goodnight to Allison as she passed. Lydia watched the brunette raise a hand towards Erica in acknowledgement. Lydia waited for a few moments to see if she would do anything else before walking over to stand just behind Allison. It was one of the few times she was taller than the other girl and it was definitely a weird experience.

The fire was mostly dead, a few flames still trying to find life to cling onto. Allison had grabbed a stick and was dragging it through the fire, eyes transfixed by the embers.

“You okay?” Lydia said, she took a chance and set her hand on Allison’s shoulder.  
  
“Yeah.” Allison nodded. “Sorry.”  
  
“What for?” Lydia asked quietly, crouching down beside her.  
  
“The depressing ass story and then being all quiet for the rest of the night.” Allison shrugged.  
  
“The story was depressing.” Lydia agreed. “ _But,_ it was also amazing. And you’re allowed to be quiet, Allison.”  
  
Allison’s lips curled up into a tiny smile and she threw the stick into the fire. It felt almost like the roles were reversed, that Lydia was the one offering comfort and to Allison.

“Do you want a hug?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison’s smile grew. “Yeah.”  
  
Lydia dropped her head onto Allison’s shoulder and looped her arm through Allison’s. It could barely count as a hug but Lydia was sure that if she tried anything else they’d risk falling and that was the last thing they both needed.  
  
“We should get some sleep.” Allison said after a few moments, she said it reluctantly, like she didn’t want to disturb the peace that had fallen around them. But without the steady heat from the fire it was getting rapidly colder and even though Lydia was wearing a hoody, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could be out. She was impressed at Allison’s ability to do it though.

“Yeah.” Lydia agreed. Even though neither of the made an attempt to move for several minutes.  
  
  
Lydia had hoped that by the time she crawled into her sleeping bag, she’d fall asleep easily but instead she found herself staring up at the ceiling of their tent, the almost suffocating silence of the camp did surprisingly little to help her sleep.  
  
She didn’t think Allison slept much, either.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anybody who read Our two lives are God's love story... I'm sorry (not sorry) for Allison's story? It was an accident
> 
> Chapter 12 should be on Sunday but most likely Monday bc editing and so many things... Have a safe weekend!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny story  
> I had to add a scene or two to the start of the chapter and then the next thing i knew i'd written almost 5k and made the chapter 10k in total so... I split it in half, surprise, bonus chapter  
> I hope you all had a good weekend!

  
  
  
When Lydia woke up she was greeted by the sound of rainfall against the roof of their tent, immediately sending her sleep filled thoughts back to Allison’s story from the night before.  
  
She groaned quietly to herself and burrowed into her sleeping bag.

“Are you cold?” Allison asked softly.  
  
Lydia sat up as much as she could manage and saw Allison sat at the end of the tent, curled in on herself and bundled in her burgundy hoody, clutching a book tightly in her hands. It took Lydia a moment to realise that it was one of the books she had given to Allison.  
  
“A little.” Lydia admitted, though it was a huge understatement, she couldn’t believe just how cold it was.  
  
Allison hummed and set her book down, she carefully shifted to her bag and rummaged through it and pulled a blanket from it.

“Is that your blanket from home?” Lydia asked.

She didn't even need to ask, she would have recognised that bright red fluffy thing anywhere, Allison had had it for years.

Allison grinned. “You know it.” She draped it over Lydia’s sleeping bag effortlessly and moved back to her spot.

“Why did you even bring it?” Lydia asked. She was thankful for it regardless.

“In case it got really cold.” Allison shrugged.

“What's going to happen today?” Lydia asked, she sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep.

“Hope that it stops raining.” Allison replied. “Because rain makes it hard to cook food and make coffee.”

Oh god the coffee. Lydia hadn't thought about the coffee.

“So if it doesn't ease up someone will probably drive into town to pick up food.” Allison scratched the back of her neck. “We didn't really plan for rain, that was a bad move on our part.”

Lydia had to smile, knowing Allison, she had probably already called Derek and Danny so that they could figure out a plan of action.

“It's really early Lyds, you should get some more sleep.” Allison said.

“What about you?”

Allison shrugged. “Not tired, it's fine.”

Lydia gave her a long look and settled back down, the blanket smelled so much like Allison it made it effortless to drift back to sleep.  
  
  


“I feel like you should invest in a hoody of your own.” Erica called to Lydia from the entrance of her and Cora’s tent.

Lydia glared at her as she zipped up her own tent, while Erica did have a point, Allison had offered Lydia a hoody and they were comfortable damn it.

The rain had eased up enough for them to leave their tents, at least for a little while.

“Shut up.” Lydia grumbled, hugging her arms to her chest.

“Are you sure you don't want to come?” Allison asked, sliding up to Lydia’s side. “We can take another car.”

“Oh don't worry.” Cora grinned, her head appearing over Erica’s shoulder. “We’ll be coming _plenty_.”

Lydia sighed and covered her face with her hand. Allison stared blankly at the two despite the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.

“Well… You all have fun with that.” Allison replied.

“You too.” Erica winked.

“Okay we’re leaving.” Allison murmured, touching a hand to Lydia’s wrist and walking towards the cars where Derek, Kira and Scott were waiting.

“Is this everyone who’s coming?” Derek asked.

“I guess so.” Scott replied. “It's not like we need everyone to do a grocery store run and grab food from a diner.”

“They gave me a list.” Kira supplied helpfully.

“Well, we can all fit in my car.” Allison said. “It'll save time.” She glanced up at the sky, frowning at the grey clouds that greeted her. “We should probably get going, looks like the rain is about to pick up again.”  
  
  


There were a lot of things the group didn't know about the local town.

For a start, it had a population of around a thousand, which made Beacon Hills feel like a city in comparison. But the thing that nobody had expected?

It was supposedly a hotspot for UFO activity.

Well, they'd had a ‘sighting’ in the eighties and a blurry picture as evidence which made the town a tourist attraction for people interested in alien activity and seeing a chance to market off of this, the town had turned themselves into a tourist attraction.

Apparently they were ranked fifteenth for must see locations in Northern California in _UF-OH NO,_ a monthly newsletter that was surprisingly popular.

“I can't believe Stiles is missing this.” Scott said, trying on his third pair of novelty sunglasses and turning to Kira for input.

“I like the second pair better, at least if you lost them at night you'd be able to find them.” Kira suggested.

Lydia nodded, they did glow in the dark after all.

Allison and Derek were in the diner/motel next door, waiting for everybody's orders. They'd already spent longer than they planned at the grocery store, stocking up on more hotdogs, burgers, condoms, snacks and most importantly, marshmallows.

Lydia wasn't sure how she ended up being dragged into the gift shop with Scott and Kira, she didn't really know what to make of the shelves filled with green and grey aliens, various novelty license plates and more X-Files themes merchandise than anybody would ever need.

“We need to bring everyone here before we head back home.” Kira declared. “This is just too cool.”  
  
Lydia hummed and drifted away from the duo to browse the rest of the store, they really did have everything, from action figures to key rings to snapbacks and even to alien themed energy drinks that looked even more unnatural than mountain dew.  
  
As Lydia got closer to the counter, she discovered a section dedicated to jewellery. She studied the items with interest, skimming over the cheap and tacky cuff links in the shape of alien heads and UFO’s and matching watches and necklaces to the more… Well, nicer stuff.  
  
Lydia stopped as her eyes fell on a necklace, it had a simple silver chain but attached to it were three small pendants in the shape of the sun, moon and stars.  
  
It was beautiful.  
  
Lydia lifted it off of the stand so that she could check its price and see it in a better light.  
  
“Oh, that’s pretty.” Kira said, bounding up behind Lydia and leaning in close to see the necklace. “You gonna buy it?”  
  
“Yeah.” Lydia nodded, she hesitated for a moment before placing it on the counter for the shop clerk to ring it up. She turned to Kira. “Do you think Allison will like it?” She asked.  
  
Kira’s expression seemed to cycle through a lot of expressions. “You’re giving it to Allison?”  
  
“It’s just… Allison brought me a gift the other day and… Yeah, i wanted to buy her something?”  
  
Kira let out a long sigh and reached out to pat Lydia’s shoulder. “Allison will love it.”  
  
“...Really?”  
  
“Yeah Lydia, you could buy her anything and she’ll love it so i promise she’ll love this.”  
  
Lydia nodded to herself and pulled out her purse before she could second guess herself further.  
  
“You should give it to her right now.” Kira said. “Like, immediately.”  
  
Lydia gave Kira a sidelong look as she paid for the necklace, she’d question why Kira was so insistent if she weren’t in agreement, if she didn’t give it to Allison as soon as possible then she’d never work up the courage to do it.  
  
  
Scott and Kira stayed in the gift shop as Lydia moved into the diner, pulling down her hood and shaking drops of rain from her hair.

She spotted Allison immediately, sat alone in a booth, drinking from an obnoxious green mug in the shape of an alien's head.

Lydia kept her hands in her pockets, one hand curled around the box the necklace had been placed in. It was a solid reassurance and it helped her make her way towards Allison.

Allison looked up, smiling as she met Lydia’s gaze. “Hey.”

Lydia took a seat opposite her. “Hey.” She looked down at the mug. “Cute.”

Allison laughed. “It does have a charm about it.” She pushed the mug towards Lydia. “But the coffee is killer, try it.”

Lydia picked up the mug and almost groaned the smell. “Is this hazelnut coffee?” She took a sip and definitely groaned. “Oh my god.”

“Right?”

“That is amazing.” Lydia pushed the mug back to Allison.

Allison took another sip and hummed thoughtfully, turning her head to glance out of the window.

“Where's Derek?” Lydia asked.

“Bathroom.” Allison replied, gently nudging the mug back towards Lydia.

They followed a similar pattern, passing the mug between each other and enjoying the peace of the diner, Allison hummed along to the radio, singing the occasional word.

Lydia couldn't stop watching her, reality never quite felt the same whenever Lydia found herself alone with Allison, this was no exception.

She loved the way Allison’s hair looked almost deliberately dishevelled, like she had spent the past few hours running her hand through it and she loved the way Allison would keep pulling the sleeves of her purple hoody down over her hands and cradled the mug between her hands before each sip.

She could spend hours trying to memorise the little details, the variations in those actions depending on Allison’s mood or the people she was around.

But Lydia also knew it was a matter of time before Derek got back from the bathroom or Scott and Kira got bored in the gift shop or the food they'd ordered was finally done and Lydia still had to give Allison her gift.

Lydia took a quick breath and slammed the box down on the table beside the alien mug.

For a moment Allison just stared at it, confused.

“What's that?” Allison asked.

Lydia thought for a moment and ultimately decided to take a page from Allison’s book.

“I saw it and thought of you.” She shrugged.

Allison's head shot up, eyes full of surprise.

Lydia pushed the box closer until it brushed Allison's fingertips. Allison took the box and opened it and Lydia found herself holding her breath as Allison studied the necklace.

There was something undoubtedly fond in Allison’s expression that made Lydia’s heart skip a beat, she barely noticed Allison moving the mug and box to the side until Allison was leaning over the table, Lydia immediately leaned forward to meet her.

“Lyds you didn't have to.” Allison whispered, wrapping an arm around Lydia’s shoulders in an admittedly awkward but tight hug.

“I wanted to.” Lydia replied. “You should see that gift shop, it's amazing.”

“I don't need to, nothing in there is more perfect than this.”

“Your order is up!” The person behind the counter called.

Allison pulled away, with a sigh, bumping her knee against the table in the process.

Lydia resisted the urge to glare at them for interrupting the moment but found herself relaxing as she saw Derek paying at the counter.

When she looked back at Allison she stopped as she watched Allison clipping the necklace on, looking proud as it rested against her chest.

“What do you think?” Allison asked, sliding out of the booth.

Lydia nodded. “It looks good, I'm… I'm glad you like it.”

Allison beamed. “How could I not?” She asked softly.

Lydia ducked her head and smiled to herself.

Once they were both standing, Allison moved back in for another hug, Lydia went gladly, resting her head on Allison’s shoulder.

“We should order more coffee. To go.”  Allison suggested.

Lydia laughed. “Definitely.”

  
  
By mid afternoon, the rain had come to a complete stop, Scott and Kira had brought some alien themed board games from the gift shop and now a few of the group were in the middle of an intense game while music from Kira’s ipod filled the campsite.  
  
Lydia chose to stay at the entrance of her tent, Isaac dozed on the ground beside her. Lydia had her sketchbook propped open in her lap, she had been steadily filling the page with trees as she tried not to be obvious in the way she kept staring at Allison across the camp.

“Would it be weird if i said i wanted to live here forever?” Isaac asked suddenly, startling Lydia.  
  
“Um, no?” Lydia replied. “It’s really nice here, but could you live without Netflix?”  
  
Isaac groaned and sat up, they ran a hand through their hair and shook out their curls. “Damn, you’re right.”  
  
“What brought this on?”  
  
“I thought about how we all have to go back to school eventually.” Isaac said. “Don’t get me wrong, i like school now but if it were a choice between that and here…”  
  
“You’d take this.”  
  
“Every time.” Isaac nodded. “Would you?”  
  
“As much fun as i’m having, i think i’d choose school.” Lydia replied.  
  
“You’re right, it’s not like we wouldn’t see each other every day.” They agreed. “But ugh, Matt and Aiden.” They wrinkled their nose. “And _Greenberg._ God.”  
  
Lydia hadn’t even really met Greenberg, but she agreed. From what she knew about Matt and what she had seen of Aiden, the least she had to see of them, the better.  
  
“They won’t bother you all, will they?” Lydia asked.  
  
Isaac stretched their arms over their head and crossed their legs. “Not sure, Matt likes to try and rile Allison up a lot, plus him and Greenberg are on the lacrosse team with a bunch of us and i know Allison was thinking of trying out this year… Aiden should stay out of our way for the most part, especially because he knows you weren’t interested in dating him.”  
  
Lydia almost shuddered at the memory. “He just seemed like such an asshole, and i’ve dated enough of those to last a lifetime.”  
  
Isaac hummed. “Good call, we’re a group that believes in resolving most conflicts without violence, but if you dated someone who was mean to you we’d all have to push the boundaries of our friendships by hiding a body.”  
  
“That’s so sweet.” Lydia replied, she felt genuinely touched by the statement. “But please don’t kill anyone.”  
  
“Well hopefully we won’t have to.” They turned to give Lydia a long, serious look. “You deserve to date someone who looks at you like you’re the sun.”  
  
Lydia dropped her head to look at her sketchbook, Isaac’s words were sweet, a soft act of kindness that Lydia was still unaccustomed to. Lydia knew the look they were talking about, it was a look of open awe and admiration of the other, it the way Scott and Kira looked at each other, the way she felt she must look at Allison. Lydia had never felt that someone could look at her with such intensity, that they could look at her and feel like their insides were combusting.  
  
It was easy to let her guard down around Isaac, Lydia wasn’t sure why but she had felt like she had connected with them from the first time they had met, while she got along with everybody, she always felt that Isaac could understand Lydia’s silence almost as well as Allison.  
  
“Hey,” Isaac nudged her gently, their voice soft. “I mean it, you’re somebodies sun, Lydia, i promise.”  
  
“Thank you.” Lydia replied after a few moments, her voice felt as fragile as she did in that moment. She smiled at Isaac. “Thank you.” She said again.  
  
Isaac beamed and shifted closer, linking their arms together.  
  
They stayed like that for a few more moments before Isaac cleared their throat.  
  
“You know why else we can’t stay here? Melissa’s cookies.” They said.  
  
Lydia laughed and dropped her head onto Isaac’s shoulder.

Isaac kept the conversation flowing as Lydia added more trees to her drawing, occasionally adding a bird or two at Isaac’s request. They were distracted enough that they didn’t notice Allison until she crouched down in front of them.  
  
“Having fun?” She asked.  
  
“Definitely.” Isaac replied. “What’s up?”  
  
Allison rubbed the back of her neck and shot a brief look at Lydia. “I was wondering if either of you wanted to go for a walk? I’m getting twitchy from sitting around the camp all day and nobody else wants to move.”  
  
“Sure.” Lydia nodded, closing her book and tossing it and her pen towards her sleeping bag. “Sounds fun.”  
  
Allison beamed and held out a hand to help Lydia to her feet. “Isaac?”  
  
Isaac grinned. “Oh i’ll pass.” They lay back down. “You two have fun though.”  
  
Lydia raised an eyebrow at the and she was fairly certain that Allison did the same.  
  


  
“I finished the books.” Allison said.  
  
They’d been walking for about ten minutes, following the path that took them beyond the lake. They took their time, the sky had cleared completely and the warmth had been steady for a few hours.  
  
“What did you think?” Lydia asked.  
  
“I liked it.” Allison nodded, she tipped her head back for a moment as they stepped out from under the cover of the trees to feel the sun on her face. “I really liked it. Thank you for letting me borrow them.”  
  
“It was no problem.” Lydia replied, she forced her attention back on the path ahead of them. “You can borrow any of my books whenever you want.”  
  
“I keep thinking about daemons though.” Allison said. “About what these representations of our souls would be if they were animals.”  
  
“So what do you think yours would be?”  
  
Allison shrugged. “No idea, i haven’t been thinking about my own.”  
  
Lydia had to smile to herself, of course she hadn’t.  
  
“What do you think my daemon is?” Allison asked, turning her head to look at Lydia.  
  
Lydia looked over to her, meeting her gaze. With the sun's current position, it seemed to illuminate her and for a moment, Lydia could easily picture a lion by her side. Huge and majestic, courageous and a symbol of leadership.  
  
But she could also see a dog, a German Shepard, maybe. Loyal and loving, protective and dangerous when needed.  
  
She could see a falcon, flying overhead, always watching and ready to defend.  
  
The with Allison though, was that she exuded so many traits that Lydia couldn’t possibly narrow her options to just one, Allison’s soul was too big, too bright to be contained to just one creature.  
  
“I’m not sure.” Lydia settled on eventually. She sighed. “It’s hard to choose just one.”  
  
Allison nodded slowly and looked away, kicking at a rock as they walked. “I’ve been trying to figure out what everyone’s daemons are.”  
  
“Do you know what mine would be?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison was quiet for a while, long enough that Lydia looked back up at her. Allison’s expression was thoughtful as she stared at the sky, the shadows from the leaves of the trees they passed danced across her face.  
  
Of course she wouldn’t know, Lydia wished she hadn’t asked. Allison hadn’t known Lydia for as long as the others. She probably would have answered it for anybody else without any hesitation. Lydia searched her mind for a way to switch the conversation to something, anything else.  
  
“It changes.” Allison said, coming slowly to a stop. “Sometimes i think of a deer. They’re graceful, resourceful, smart as hell and beautiful.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “Other times, it’s a bear. They’re brave, you know? Cause you have that strength and courage that is admirable as hell.”  
  
Lydia almost wanted to cut her off, tell her that no, she’s not brave, especially not in comparison to the others. But Allison continued to talk before Lydia could find the words to begin.  
  
“But i also think about a robin. Not… Not because of the hair.” Allison laughed, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. “But like, they symbolise the sun and hope and the return of warmth because they’re the first sign of spring and yeah… Yeah. It’d be easier if we could have more than one daemon because it’s so hard to choose between them…” She trailed off, letting her arm drop awkwardly to her side. “I guess you have a soul too big for one animal, huh?”  
  
Lydia had to stare, Allison thought she had a big soul? Just like Lydia felt about her. She’d put obvious and clear thought into the animals she had chosen.  
  
She thought Lydia was brave.  
  
She had compared Lydia to the _sun._  
  
Lydia crossed the space between them, barely acknowledging Allison’s concerned expression and distantly wondering how her own face must have looked in the moment as she threw her arms around the taller girl's body and hid her face against her shoulder.  
  
For a moment, Allison didn’t move, even though Lydia could feel her muscles tense and relax, the way her heart beat steadily before she finally brought her arms up, wrapping one against Lydia’s shoulders and the other lower down on her back.  
  
“Lydia?” She asked quietly. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I think i like the robin.” Lydia replied, her voice felt muffled but she felt Allison nod.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“And i think you’d have a lion.”  
  
“Oh.” Allison nodded again. “I like that.”  
  
“Can we stay here for a minute?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Sure little bird, as long as you need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but can someone make _UF-OH NO_ into an actual newsletter so that pun is worth it?  
>  Also i've never had hazelnut coffee, how is it?  
> I might upload the next chapter tomorrow, maybe tuesday? idk  
> Stay safe!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday!  
> Some light angst and stuff here  
> There's also a bit of blood because clumsy Allison is clumsy

 

“Have a fun walk?” Erica asked as they walked back into the camp.  
  
Lydia looked around the camp, pretty much everyone was gathered around and casting them expectant looks. Lydia turned to Allison and was almost glad to see the mirroring look of confusion on her face.  
  
“Sure?” Allison replied. “We walked, we talked, it was nice.”  
  
Cora looked as though she was about to say something, only to be cut off by Derek elbowing her in the ribs.  
  
“I’m going to start dinner in a minute.” Derek said. “How do you both feel about burgers?”  
  
Lydia couldn’t explain it, but she was sure she felt an undercurrent of tension somewhere and the thought of it made her stomach coil with nerves.  
  
It was probably just her imagination.  
  
“Sounds good.” Lydia replied.  
  
  
  
Lydia figured that by the time they’d all eaten dinner the feeling would have gone but if anything it was just steadily building.  
  
They’d all gathered near the fire, many of them were playing cards. Malia had suggested they play never have i ever again or spice it up by playing truth or dare- both ideas were aggressively shut down by Allison and Derek, the former of the two having shifted into one of her quiet and thoughtful moods.

She seemed to want to be left alone, so Lydia made sure to give her the space she wanted.

“Come on Lydia, your turn to deal.” Danny said, pushing the cards towards her.  
  
Lydia glanced over at Allison again and wondered briefly what had caused the shift in her mood before sighing and grabbing the cards.  
  
  
  
Allison’s mood hadn’t improved by the time they crawled into her sleeping bags and the steadily building anxiety Lydia had been feeling as a result hadn’t eased in the slightest.  
  
“Alli…” Lydia said softly, watching as Allison settled down. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I’m fine Lyds.” Allison replied, not looking away from where her gaze was fixed on the ceiling.  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yeah. Don’t worry about me, little bird.” Allison said.

She rolled over, putting her back to Lydia and the simple action made Lydia’s heart _ache._

No reassuring smile, not even any eye contact.  
  
Lydia stared at the outline of Allison’s figure, mind going into overdrive as she tried to figure out what could have made Allison like this.  
  
Was it her fault?

 

“You look exhausted.” Malia said. They held out their coffee. “Here take this, you need it more than i do.”  
  
Lydia took the coffee and took a huge sip, grimacing at the taste. She wished she had known earlier that Malia liked their coffee black and with no sugar. At least she felt slightly more awake now.  
  
“Thanks.” Lydia replied, passing them their coffee back. “I needed that.”  
  
She hadn’t slept much and when she had woken up, Allison had been gone. The lack of sleep only made Lydia feel slightly more on edge.  
  
“Lydia, do you want some breakfast?” Derek called.  
  
Lydia nodded. “Yes, please.”  
  
“Five minutes.”  
  
Malia nudged Lydia as she thanked Derek and pinned her with a long look.  
  
“What?” Lydia asked.  
  
“What’s wrong?”  
  
Lydia shrugged. “I didn’t sleep much.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I just didn’t.”  
  
Malia seemed to pick up on Lydia’s tone and nodded. For as pushy as they could be sometimes, Malia seemed to know that today was not a day to do that.  
  
“So i hear we’re going to play football later.” Malia said, changing the conversation effortlessly. “You in?”

 

“Not into playing football?” Erica asked.

“Not particularly.” Lydia replied. Though there was something reassuring about watching the Allison play with the others, she seemed to be in a better mood. “You not playing today?”  
  
“Maybe later.” Erica shrugged, she stretched languidly. “I’m a little worn out.”  
  
Lydia hummed and looked over in the direction of the tents. There was probably a euphemism in there somewhere.  
  
“Was it easy figuring out you, Boyd and Cora had feelings for each other?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Pretty much.” Erica nodded. “Danny had made us a pamphlet on polyamory.”  
  
“Those pamphlets sound like lifesavers.” Lydia teased.  
  
“Oh you have no idea.” Erica laughed. She shifted closer and nudged Lydia with her elbow. “What about you? Do you plan on dating?”  
  
“Um…” Lydia scratched the back of her neck, she immediately thought back to her conversation with Isaac yesterday. “I’m not opposed to it…? I just- it depends on who?”  
  
“And _who_ would that be?”  
  
“Erica.” Boyd sighed, approaching them and handing Erica a bottle of water. “No meddling.”  
  
“I’m not meddling!” Erica protested. “I’m just wondering who she would have her eye on, who her type is. I need to be the best wingwoman.”

Lydia shrugged, glancing away to pull some grass out from the ground. She looked up at the game still going on and watched Scott catch the ball Allison had thrown and scored a touchdown, the two high fived, grinning proudly at each other.

“Somebody entirely out of my league.” Lydia replied.

“Oh please.” Erica laughed. “Anybody who _you_ could be interested would be a fool not to reciprocate. Right Boyd?”

Boyd gave Erica a long look before sighing, resigned. “Erica's right. Don't doubt yourself, _if_ you do have a crush on someone then you can bet they have a crush on you too.”

Lydia stared at them both, the steadily building anxiety increased tenfold. Did they know about her feelings for Allison? Did they really think that Allison could feel the same way or were they just trying to reassure her?  
  
Actually, Kira had been acting weird yesterday too, encouraging her to buy Allison the necklace and insisting that she give it to Allison immediately. Not to mention the strange atmosphere in the camp when they had returned from their walk.  
  
What did they think had happened?  
  
Did everybody know how she felt about Allison?  
  
Did _Allison_ know?  
  
“Lydiaaaa.” Erica drawled, waving a hand. “You okay?”

Lydia ducked her head and rubbed the back of her neck. “Thanks for the pep talk you two. I, uh… I'm gonna go look for some firewood.”

She scrambled to her feet and headed towards the trees, she shot one last glance towards the football game, catching Allison's eye. She shook her head and carried on, she had to get away, she had to clear her head.

 

“So, are we building a cabin or…?” Stiles asked as he took in the firewood Lydia had gathered. She may have gone overboard but at least they won’t run out any time soon.

“Shut up.” Lydia sighed. She looked up at him and frowned at just how sweaty he was. “Did you win?”

Stiles shrugged, he grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and chugged half of it in one go. “We had to call it a draw, Allison took an elbow to the face so Scott and Derek dropped out to make sure she was okay.”

“Is she?” Lydia asked. “Where is she? Where's the others?”

Stiles held up his hands. “They're on their way. Probably.” He shrugged. “They should be.”

“And Allison?”

“Nosebleed, nothing serious.”

“Since when is a nosebleed nothing serious? How did she even get elbowed in the face?”

“Because she wasn't paying attention.” Isaac said, Lydia looked over as the group began to emerge.

She spotted Allison on Derek's back, looking miserable and slightly terrifying with her face smeared in blood.

“It was nothing.” Allison insisted.

“She says as she gets carried back to camp by Derek.” Stiles said.

Allison tapped Derek's shoulder and he walked across the camp before setting Allison down.

“He says as he had to walk back while I got to relax and enjoy the view.” Allison replied drily.

She sighed to herself as she picked at some of the dried blood from her face and grimaced at it.

“Do you want to go lie down?” Derek asked.

“No.” Allison said. “I'm fine.”

Scott crouched down beside her and handed her a pack of wipes.

“These are great for blood.” He said, smiling and ruffling Allison's hair.

“I'm concerned that you know that.” Allison replied. “Thank you, Scott.”

Scott ruffled her hair again and got up to head over to Kira. Derek seemed to read something in Allison's expression and left her side.

Lydia glanced around the camp as everyone began to go about their own business.

She got up and walked over to Allison, crouching down beside her. “Are you okay?”

Allison drew a leg up to her chest to rest her chin on her knee, her expression forlorn. “Yeah.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
Allison shrugged, her gaze fixed towards the ground. “I looked up when i shouldn’t have, got distracted and…” She trailed off with a gesture towards her face. “At least it stopped bleeding.”  
  
Lydia was surprised she could tell, her skin was still stained with the stuff.  
  
“Do you want some help with that?” Lydia asked. “To clean the blood?”  
  
“It’s fine.” Allison said.  
  
She still seemed sad, it had felt like something that had been consistent since the night before but Lydia had thought that was over. Now she seemed tired too, lost in thought and distant in a way Lydia couldn’t read.  
  
“Alli…” Allison looked up at the nickname, catching her entirely off guard. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“I’ve just been thinking.” Allison admitted.  
  
“About what?”  
  
“Bravery and selfishness.”  
  
Lydia shifted to make herself more comfortable, Allison’s gaze dropped to the small space between them, Lydia didn’t know whether to move or not.

“Those seem like two very different things.” Lydia pointed out.  
  
Allison shook her head. “It depends on how you look at it and what you define as a selfish act or an act of bravery.” She glanced at Lydia, eyes flickering over her face and darting away quickly. “People think I’m brave.”

“That’s because you are.” Lydia replied immediately.  
  
“These days i’m not so sure.” Allison sighed. “I think i can be pretty selfish.”

“I don’t think there’s a selfish bone in your body, Allison.”

Allison shook her head, looking even sadder as she all but hid her face in her arms. “I can’t even be honest about my own feelings, so I’m selfish _and_ a coward.”  
  
“Allison, stop.” Lydia said, louder and with more force than she’d intended. Allison startled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Lydia shook her head. “You’re one of the bravest people I know, Allison. You’re the furthest thing from selfish and I can’t listen to you call yourself a coward.” She reached out to put her hand on Allison’s wrist, pausing to feel her pulse jump beneath her fingertips. “Please don’t ever think you’re a coward… And if you can’t talk to me, then Derek, Isaac.. Anyone.”

Allison stared at Lydia’s hand for an agonisingly long moment and when she met her gaze again, Lydia was startled to find Allison’s eyes filled with tears. So startled that it took her brain a moment to catch up when Allison snatched her hand away quickly as though she’d been burned and was in the process of getting to her feet.  
  
“I need to- I’m gonna take a walk.”  
  
Lydia watched her go, stunned and speechless. She saw Derek, Danny and Ethan watching too.  
  
Lydia would never think Allison was a coward, but she couldn’t deny that something had scared her and a part of Lydia couldn’t help but blame herself. Before anybody could approach her, Lydia went to her and Allison’s tent, closing it behind her and dropping down onto her sleeping bag.

She couldn’t understand the tears that fell as soon as she knew she was hidden, she just hoped that nobody tried to approach her so that she didn’t have to try an explain

She didn’t want to explain why she held Allison’s hoody so close to her chest either.

 

“Lydia?” Danny called. “Scott's making dinner, it'll be done soon.”

Lydia sat up and wiped at her eyes, her body felt heavy with sleep and it took a few moments for Danny's words to catch up with her and to wrestle with the zip of the tent.

“Scott?” Lydia asked, as soon as they were face to face. “Where's Derek?”

Danny pursed his lips and glanced away for a second. “There isn’t enough alcohol and apparently that’s a travesty and he's also the only one with a fake I.D. They'll be back soon.”

“They as in Allison.” Lydia said. It wasn't hard to figure out.

“And Isaac.”

Lydia pulled the sleeves of the hoody over her hands and hugged her arms to herself. “I- uh… I'm not really hungry? So-”

“No, no.” Danny shook his head. “Not happening. Intervention time, can I come in?”

“Sure.” Lydia murmured, moving to the side and sitting down on her sleeping bag.

Danny closed the tent behind him and sat down beside her.

“What's going on, Lydia?” Danny asked softly.

Lydia picked at a loose thread on the hoody and shrugged. It was obvious she couldn't avoid it any longer, everybody was noticing and she was losing Allison. If there was anyone she would choose to tell about this that wasn't Allison, it was Danny.

“I’m falling for her.” Lydia sighed.

Danny nodded. “Okay.”

“She's just…I don't know, she’s just so brave and inspirational and loyal and she has so much energy and love to give…” Lydia sighed. “And I could watch her smile forever.”

Lydia risked a glance up at Danny, he still didn't seem surprised by her confession.

“You knew didn't you?” She asked.

Danny smiled. “Yeah.”

Lydia ducked her head and let out a short laugh. “Why didn't you say anything?”

“Because that would be interfering.” Danny said. “And I'm pretty sure that's exactly what's caused this.”

“What?” Lydia frowned, she met Danny's gaze.

“Has anybody said anything to you? About relationships and stuff that freaked you out?”

Lydia nodded. “Yeah? Kinda. There was some stuff yesterday and you… You all seemed to be acting odd when we came back and then Allison’s mood changed and today Erica asked me if I was interested in anyone and that if I did they would have feelings for me too and… I panicked? I just… Yeah. I panicked.”

“You think that she was just trying to reassure you?"

“Yeah, basically. LIke she was saying Allison could possibly like me back.” Lydia sighed to herself, out loud, it sounded stupid. But Danny didn't seem to think so. He reached down to squeeze her hand, he hadn't even mentioned that she was wearing Allison's hoody.

“Lydia, do you know how Allison got elbowed in the face?” Danny asked.

“Because she wasn't paying attention.”

“Because she saw you leaving.” Danny nudged her with his shoulder. “You know that if Erica has said something to you, she’s almost certainly said something to Allison? The same goes for everyone else.”  
  
Lydia shook her head. “That’s ridiculous, because that would mean that Erica thinks Allison likes me.”  
  
Danny sighed heavily, wiping his hand over his face. “I’m going to have to have words with Erica and apologise to Allison.” He sighed. “Lydia, she _does_ like you.”

“...What?”

“She looks at you like you’re the sun, Lydia. Oh God, you both look at each other like the other is the sun and we’ve been waiting for you guys to figure it out in your own time and you probably would have too but i guess someone said something to Allison last night and that was why her mood changed?” Danny sighed. “She probably thought that you didn’t feel the same way and whatever was said to her made her panic and…” He trailed off with another sigh.

Lydia kind of wanted to cry again. There was so much happening so fast, a few hours ago, Allison had called herself a coward and had walked away on the verge of tears and now here Danny was, calmly sat beside her as he explained that Allison felt the same way as Lydia did.

It was a lot to take in.

“When will Allison be back?” Lydia asked.

“I don’t know.” Danny replied honestly. “If it helps, there’s a ninety percent chance that she’s having a conversation just like this with Derek, Isaac or both.”  
  
“And the other ten percent?”

“That she is going to have a conversation like this at some point in the next few hours. I think you’ll find this hard to believe, but it’s actually _really_ hard to get Allison to talk about her feelings.” Danny said.  
  
“She doesn’t want to burden people with them.”  
  
Danny nodded. “Exactly.” He squeezed Lydia’s shoulder. “But you can be like that too.”  
  
Lydia sighed. He was right, she’d been bottling up her anxiety since it had started the day before and had let it eat away at her.  
  
“You know you can talk to us when you get those feelings, okay? Or just let us know, a lot of us have experience with anxiety and panic attacks.”  
  
Lydia definitely wanted to cry again. She loved Danny so much.

“People!” Scott’s voice echoes through the camp. “Dinner’s ready!”  
  
“Do you want to come to dinner? Nobody will talk about it if you do and we’ll leave you be if you don’t.”

Lydia rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. “I don’t want to bum anyone out.”  
  
“You won’t, we have loads of embarrassing stories about each other we can tell you.” He wrapped an arm around her. “Anything to make you smile, yeah?”  
  
Lydia let him pull her close and pressed her face against his shoulder. “You’re the best.”  
  
Danny laughed. “I know.” He kissed the side of her head. “Come on, i have a great story involving Stiles and a tennis racquet.”

 

Lydia woke with a start. Her first thought was that she had regretted going to bed so early, but as the evening had dragged on, it became clear to Lydia that Allison was avoiding the camp for the moment, so she’d retired to her tent.  
  
Her second thought was that she could hear movement outside and her thoughts instantly shifted to the various horrors Danny had talked about when he had tried to scare Cora at dinner.

She was just about to figure out if she could use her toothbrush as an impromptu weapon when Kira’s voice broke through the silence.  
  
“Lydia, wake up!” She whispered.  
  
Lydia pulled open the tent, blinking her eyes at the slowly brightening sky, the sun must only be a few minutes from rising. Great, now she’ll never get back to sleep.  
  
“What is it?” Lydia hissed. “I thought you were a serial killer!”

Kira looked alarmed by Lydia’s declaration, it was enough to almost make her laugh. Kira and serial killer were not two things that should be together in a sentence.

“Me and Scott were-” her eyes widened as a blush rose to her cheeks. “Anyway! There’s a deer!”  
  
“A deer?”

Kira nodded her head quickly. “Huge brown eyes, generally looks super adorable. You should come and see!”  
  
“Oh shit.” Lydia ran a hand through her hair. “Two minutes, i need to not be running through the woods at the crack of dawn.”

Kira made a sound of agreement. “Hurry!”  
  
Lydia changed quickly, throwing on some jeans and what were definitely Allison’s boots and pulled Allison’s hoody over her pyjama top before stumbling out of the tent, thankful for Kira being nearby to steady her.  
  
“Are you ready?”  
  
“As i’ll ever be.” Lydia replied.

“So uh… Where's Scott?” Lydia asked after a minute of walking.

Kira was determinedly staring straight ahead, around them, the birds were beginning to sing and Lydia could feel the bottom of her jeans getting damp as they walked through the dew soaked grass.

As they continued to walk Lydia began to regret the sudden decision to even follow Kira, she blamed it on being half asleep when Kira had asked her and now she was cold, confused and oh so slightly suspicious.

“Where we saw the deer…”

“Does he mind that you both stopped to, like, tell me that there's a deer?” Lydia wasn't really sure how to ask _‘is the boy going to be wearing clothes when we get there?’_ Without it making the situation any less surreal.

“He encouraged it actually. It- it's not like we were doing anything out here.” Kira replied, her blush only getting stronger.

“Do you often sneak out before dawn?” Lydia asked.  
  
“It was to take pictures!” Kira replied, her voice getting higher in pitch from embarrassment.

Lydia stared at Kira, the girl was a terrible liar at the best of times and it was clear from her behaviour that _something_ was awry and Lydia did everything in her power to silence the hopeful part of her brain that kept offering a suggestion as to what was going on.

They walked for a little while longer before she spotted Scott, hovering awkwardly near a tree, he sighed in relief when he saw them.  
  
“Your timing could not have been better.” He said, reaching for Kira’s hand and squeezing it.  
  
“Is the deer gone?” Lydia asked.  
  
“Deer?” Scott repeated, clearly confused. He raised an eyebrow at Kira who smiled sheepishly. “Oh right. The _deer._ ” He nodded. “The deer is just past those trees.”  
  
Lydia looked from Scott to Kira, they both had terrible poker faces and as soon as they were side by side it became glaringly obvious as they smiled at her.  
  
The voice in her head was getting louder and despite everything, she dared to hope that it was right.  
  
“...Guys, what’s happening?”  
  
Kira stepped away from Scott and took hold of Lydia’s wrist, gently tugging until Lydia followed her towards the trees.  
  
“Okay so the deer was a lie.”  
  
“Kira, are you a serial killer?” Lydia asked.

“No, but uh...We have kinda interfered again?” Kira replied.  
  
Oh God.  
  
The voice was right.

Lydia watched as Derek and Allison appeared from the trees opposite, the only consolation was that Allison seemed as shocked as she felt.  
  
“Derek…?” Allison glanced over at Derek.  
  
“Kira, what-”  
  
Kira squeezed her hand and smiled. “Sorry. Good luck.”  
  
She watched Kira go back the way she came, towards Scott, as Derek gave Allison a long look and a soft touch on her shoulder before he walked past Lydia, giving her a nod as he went.  
  
Lydia took a moment to look around her, there was a lot more light than there had been since Kira had woken her up, it broke through the trees and lit up the space in a soft glow. When she finally worked up the courage to look at Allison, she fully expected the girl to be looking at the sky, only to find her staring straight back at Lydia.

“Hey.” Allison said.

“Hey.” Lydia pulled her sleeves over her hands and watched Allison’s eyes track the movement, she didn’t think she imagined the way Allison’s eyes widened when she realised Lydia was wearing her hoody. “It was quiet without you snoring next to me.”  
  
Allison glanced away, huffing a quiet laugh. “I don’t snore.”  
  
“You totally do, it’s like a kitten snore.” Lydia replied.

“Derek drove me and Isaac around.” Allison said, turning her head to face Lydia. “We came back so Isaac could sleep.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I wasn’t ready to sleep so me and Derek walked. There were still things to talk about.”

Lydia nodded slowly. “How’s the nose?”  
  
“It’s fine.”

It was awkward, she couldn’t remember it feeling this awkward when they first met at the hospital and God, that felt like years ago and yet she’s as breathless as ever when Allison met her gaze.  
  
It’s awkward now because so much has changed and they both know the other has something to say but won’t, they’re easing their way towards it, slowly, cautiously. Right here, right now, time felt like it had slowed for them to figure this out. Together.

“Lyds…” Allison began, taking a step closer. “I need to tell you something and I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this for so long and i still can’t find the right words to explain it just right.” She took a hesitant half step closer. “But… I’m sorry, for running earlier, for freaking you out, for making you panic and think that you had done something wrong. You hadn’t.”

“It’s okay, Allison.” Lydia replied. “I get it.”  
  
Allison shook her head. “It’s not okay, i shouldn’t have let you think that you had done something wrong.”  
  
“I promise Allison, it’s okay, i’m not angry at you.” Lydia said. She didn’t want Allison to keep blaming herself for the events of the last day or so.  
  
Allison didn’t look entirely convinced, she hovered for a moment, running a hand through her hair and letting out a long breath of air.  
  
“I like you Lydia. I really _really_ like you, I- shit- and I have no idea if you feel the same and i felt so selfish because every time we hugged or held hands or were just near each other i would hope those moments wouldn’t end and I kept wondering how i could let people call me brave when i couldn’t find the courage to tell you how i really feel and how it wasn’t fair to you and-”  
  
“You like me?” Lydia couldn’t help how quiet her voice was, how disbelieving she sounded, the way it cracked. It was enough to make Allison stop talking, hands hanging almost comically in the air from her gesturing.

Allison let her hands drop to her sides, she stood up straighter and Lydia saw some of the tension leave her shoulders. She smiled, warm and open and full of affection and it warmed Lydia more than the sun ever could.

“Well… Yeah. Lydia, how could I not?” Allison took another step closer.  
  
“You have seen you right?” Lydia asked.  
  
“I was going to say the same thing about you, Lyds. You’re the most incredible person i’ve ever met, i could listen to you talk forever, you’re the smartest, most fascinating person i know and your smile… Your whole personality? Lydia, the sun stands no _chance_ compared to you.”

Allison had closed the distance between them and okay, Danny had told her that Allison liked her, but to hear her say the words? To speak them with such conviction?  
  
Lydia felt a laugh struggling to reach the surface and she instinctively ducked her head, only to feel soft fingers under her jaw, stilling her. There was a moment of hesitation before Allison lifted Lydia’s head until their eyes met.  
  
Allison blinked and Lydia could feel her skin burning from her touch, it took a considerable amount of effort not to let her eyes close from the sensation of Allison’s thumb brushing against her cheek.  
  
“Lydia… Can i kiss you?”  
  
Lydia nodded, daring to let her gaze drop to Allison’s lips. “Yes, _please._ ”  
  
Allison smiled, brushing her thumb over Lydia’s cheek again as she moved in to press their lips together, Lydia felt something flare in her chest, parting her lips slightly and leaning closer into Allison. She reached up to curl both hands into Allison’s shirt as she pulled away. She watched as Allison’s eyes fluttered open slowly and she let out a slow breath.  
  
“I like you too,” Lydia whispered. “I have for a long time.”  
  
Allison’s smile grew and her other hand found it’s way to Lydia’s face, brushing her hair behind her ear.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Lydia nodded. “Yeah.”  
  
Allison tipped her head back and laughed, Lydia was lost. Hopelessly, truly lost and there wasn’t a damn thing she would change about it because Allison liked her back.  
  
“Allison?”  
  
Allison found her gaze again, eyes bright and full of joy. “Yeah?”  
  
“Can i kiss you again?”  
  
“I’d be a fool to deny a kiss from Lydia Martin.” Allison replied, already leaning down to meet her in a kiss.  
  
Lydia moved her arms until they were around Allison’s neck, laughing in between lingering kisses until Allison was holding Lydia against her, arms wrapped around her with her lips pressed to Lydia’s hair. Lydia herself had her forehead resting against Allison’s shoulder, her own hands trapped between them. Any other time, she would be having a crisis over the fact that her hands were pressed against Allison’s abs but she felt so safe and secure in Allison’s arms that she couldn’t bring herself to care right now.

“Hey little bird?” Allison spoke up softly, her voice muffled by Lydia’s hair.  
  
“Yeah?”

“Can i take you on a date when we get back home?”  
  
Lydia smiled against Allison’s shoulder. “I’d really like that.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
She felt Allison yawn into her hair and she couldn’t help but smile more.  
  
“Do you want to go back and get some sleep?”

“I'd rather stay with you.” Allison replied.

“It's still early.” Lydia said. “We can go back and get a couple of hours sleep before the others wake up.”

Allison snorted and pulled back, smiling fondly at Lydia. “I wouldn't be too optimistic about that, little bird. You know what our friends are like.” She reached down to brush her fingertips against Lydia's knuckles, Lydia turned her hand and laced their fingers together before Allison could pull away and they both spent a few moments staring at their joined hands.

“But it's worth a try.” Lydia said  
  
Allison hummed and looked down at their hands again. “So this is really happening, huh?”

Lydia gave her hand a light squeeze. “It seems that way.”

“Holy shit.” Allison breathed.

Lydia laughed, leaning forward to press her head to Allison's shoulder. She had to admit, a part of her was wondering if this was some kind of cruel and elaborate dream.

“Okay.” Allison nodded. “Okay, let's head back.”

 

Allison didn't let go of Lydia's hand the entire walk back. Lydia kept finding her gaze drawn back to them, watching the way Allison's thumb whisked over her knuckles.

For once it didn't feel like there was a rush to say everything. There were questions, yeah. Lydia wondered when Allison had developed feelings for her, what boundaries would there be? She didn't want to do _anything_ that could make her uncomfortable.

It was a conversation that could be had later, for now, this was enough for them both.

The last thing she had been expecting was the site of everybody hanging around the camp, all draped in blankets and looking half asleep.

Erica was the first to notice, immediately elbowing Cora and Boyd.

“Oh good, you're back.” Cora drawled.

“Did you kiss?” Erica asked.

Lydia looked up at Allison, pleased to see a blush on her cheeks.

“We did.” Lydia said.  
  
“Oh my _God._ Thank you!” Stiles yelled, a group of birds flew from a nearby tree. “God.” He threw himself down onto Scott, who toppled under the weight.  
  
Kira practically squealed, looking so happy that it made the entire thing feel so much more real to Lydia.  
  
“Congratulations.” Boyd said.  
  
“And behalf of everyone we’re sorry about the meddling.” Danny added.  
  
“Which time?” Allison asked.  
  
“I’m only a little bit sorry for today’s meddling.” Kira said meekly. Scott and Derek nodded.  
  
Lydia pressed closer to Allison, smiling to herself when Allison tightened her hold around her waist.  
  
“But we are all really sorry about making you both panic.” Isaac said seriously. “We didn’t realise that so many of us were going to say something to you both.”  
  
Allison narrowed her eyes at the group and groaned after a few moments. “You all made bets, didn’t you?”  
  
“Oh yeah.” Malia nodded before anybody could protest, draping their legs over Isaac’s lap. “But we basically all forfeited that when meddling started to happen.”  
  
“So, as an apology, we’re going to offer you two the money from the betting pool.” Danny said. “It's the least we could do.”  
  
Allison smiled warmly at the group, she glanced at Lydia and Lydia smiled back at her, nodding.  
  
“We’re not mad at you.” Allison said. “Being mad achieves nothing.”  
  
“We also love you all too much.” Lydia added.  
  
“Damn right.” Cora mumbled under her breath.  
  
“So the money…?” Erica began.  
  
“Can go to charity.” Lydia said, she didn’t miss the beaming smile Allison shot her way. “Allison or Danny can choose, they probably know best.”  
  
Danny nodded. “No problem.”  
  
“And ice cream is on us when we’re heading home.” Derek spoke up.

Allison grinned. “Sounds good. We’re going to sleep, don't wait up.”

As Allison led Lydia towards their tent, she saw Danny wink at them as Scott and Kira cooed at them both. She definitely heard Cora mumble an agreement and disappear into her own tent.

Lydia followed Allison's lead and did nothing beyond kicking off her shoes once they were inside. She watched Allison grab her blanket from her bag.  
  
“How do you feel about cuddling?” Allison asked.  
  
“You can never go wrong with it.” Lydia replied, sitting down on her sleeping bag.

Allison hummed her agreement and shifted closer. “Afterwards, we should talk about boundaries and stuff? Cause like… I don’t want things to change between us?” She smiled and shrugged a little. “I mean, more kissing, cuddling and holding hands, if you want, obviously.”  
  
“Obviously.” Lydia agreed, smiling back at Allison.

“Can I kiss you again?” Allison asked.

“Definitely.” She breathed, nodding as Allison rose up to meet her for a kiss.

It still felt like a dream.

“So are we going to talk about the elephant in the campsite?” Erica asked. She gestured at Allison and then Lydia. “You two are dating now right?”

Lydia looked over at Allison, Allison smiled as she raised an eyebrow at the group.

“We are.” Lydia nodded.  
  
“Good, we didn’t get clarification on that this morning.” Cora said.  
  
“I wanted to lock you both in a closet but Boyd wouldn’t let me.” Erica sighed.

Boyd waved at them from where he was playing cards with Stiles and Malia.

Allison let out an exasperated sigh and dropped her head to Lydia's shoulder.

“I can’t believe you got elbowed in the face yesterday.” Cora laughed. “I know you were both down yesterday but oh my god it was amazing.”

“I hate you all!” Allison protested, her voice heavily muffled by Lydia's shoulder.

“We have it under good authority that you don't.” Isaac said.

Allison made another sound and looped both of her arms around one of Lydia's. Lydia used her free hand to tousle her hair.

“Well seeing as you two wasted yesterday pining and today sleeping, can we spend the night traumatising each other with scary stories?” Cora asked.

Kira sighed. “I'm going to blame you all for my nightmares.”

“Will marshmallows help?” Isaac asked.

Kira beamed. “You are my favourite person.”

 

It felt weird, with everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours to end up in their separate sleeping bags with the small amount of space between them.

The camp was quiet and Lydia was terrified.

Fucking Danny and his ghost stories.

“Lydia…” Allison whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“What are the odds that we’ll be murdered in our sleep by a doll called Betsy?”

“Less than being chased by the smiling man.”

Allison whined and Lydia looked over in time to see her cover her face with her hands. “So long as we never go into a corn field.”

Lydia could sure as shit agree with that. If she ever sees one again it'll be too soon.

She felt Allison’s hand brush against her sleeping bag, coming to rest against her shoulder. Lydia slipped her arm out and covered Allison's hand with her own.

“On a plus note, it was Cora's idea to tell the stories so, by the rules of the universe, she'll die first and give us time to escape?” Allison said.

Lydia snorted quietly. “You wouldn't try to escape, you'd stay and try to save everyone.”

She didn't have to look over at Allison to see that she was smiling. Lydia could hear it in her voice when she replied.

“I guess so.”

Lydia sighed and closed her eyes, lacing her fingers with Allison’s and smiling herself as she feels Allison squeeze her hand lightly.

“Do you know anymore stories?” Lydia asked.

Allison laughed softly. “One of these days you're going to have to tell me a story.”

“I don't know any.” Lydia replied. “But I'll read you any book you want when we get back.”

“It's a date.” Allison replied. “I like your voice.”

The two lay in silence for a few moments, Lydia thought she could hear Isaac talking to Boyd in the next tent over.

Allison cleared her throat. “There was a once a star that fell in love with a human girl. The star fell to the earth so that she could be with her…”

 

“What time are we leaving?” Scott asked. He didn't look up from his current activity: trying to catch a frog.

Everybody had been up surprisingly early, Lydia suspected it was one part because of it being their last day and one part because nobody had really slept well the night before.

Except for Danny and by extension, Ethan.

Lydia wasn't sure where most of the group were, when Lydia has gotten up, Scott and Kira had been the only ones around the camp.

“Probably after lunch? So we have time to pack everything up and have a relaxed drive back.” Kira replied, leaning against Lydia and looking ready to run the _second_ the frog moved. “Unless we get massively distracted we’ll be back before it gets dark.”

“...So we’re going to get back when it's dark?” Scott said.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Kira nodded.

They did all have a habit of getting distracted easily, they had accepted this. But if Derek was leading the way then maybe he could restrain them, not that it worked the last time.

“Hey you three.” Malia greeted, strolling into the camp, their hair and clothes were wet and they had what looked like Stiles’ Pokemon towel draped over their shoulders.

“Been to the lake?” Lydia asked.

Malia hummed and dropped down beside Kira. “It got unsafe to be in the water.” They shrugged. Scott, Kira and Lydia all raised their eyebrows and waited for Malia to continue. “Derek and Stiles decided to try fishing, it was agreed that being in the water would lead to one of us ending up hooked somehow.”

“Please tell me Allison isn't in the water…” Scott sighed.

He had a point, she was like a magnet for injuries. It was alarming.

“She never went in the water.” Malia said. “Last I saw she was sat with Isaac with her blanket wrapped around her.”

Kira looked thoughtful. “Not gonna lie, I kinda wanna see how those two do at fishing.”

Malia winked. “It's why I'm here, to let you all know. And also to warn you that I'm pretty sure Danny and Ethan are fucking somewhere.”

“Of course.” Scott nodded. “Because why make use of a perfectly functioning tent?”

Kira reached over to swat him affectionately on the shoulder. “Oh hush you.”

The frog Scott had been so distracted with chose that moment to leap and Lydia was pretty sure Kira almost kicked Malia in the face as she fled the camp screaming.

 

“Caught anything yet?” Lydia asked.

Isaac looked at her from over their shoulder, Allison looked to her right before she noticed Isaac and followed their gaze and smiled up at Lydia.

“Stiles caught an old shoe.” Isaac replied.

“We’re doubting the possibility that there are fish.” Allison continued.

Lydia took a seat beside her as she heard Scott, Kira and Malia appear behind them.

“Good morning.” Allison added, she swayed a little, as though moving in closer but deciding against it at the last moment.

Did she want to…?

“Can I kiss you?”

Holy shit, she did.

“Yeah.”

Allison swooped in, tilting her head to press their lips together in a brief kiss.

“That's adorable.” Kira sighed.

Lydia looked over her shoulder and saw Kira cooing at them and holding her camera. Allison ducked her head onto Lydia's shoulder.

“Usually this is where you mumble that it's not adorable, Allison.” Lydia said quietly.

“But we are adorable.” Allison replied, Lydia felt daring enough to reach for her hand. “I mean look at Lydia. Look how cute she is.”

“Coming from the human puppy.” Isaac said at the moment Lydia had the exact same thought.

Allison made a sound and shifted closer. Only she could be wrapped in a blanket first thing in the morning in the middle of summer. To be fair, the sun was mostly hidden by trees and it was kind of cloudy, but still.

“I almost don't wanna go home.” Allison sighed.

Lydia agreed on some level, the trip feels like their own world now and she can't help but feel apprehensive about going back to Beacon Hills now that her relationship with Allison has changed.

Will Chris treat her differently? No more sleepovers because of what they _might_ do behind closed doors?

What about her mom? Who honestly only seemed to tolerate Allison and as far as Lydia knew had chosen to ignore her daughters bisexuality.

Lydia wasn't in the closet, not by a long shot, but she couldn't deny that she was a little nervous over how it'll all change when she gets home.

“Almost?” Scott repeated. “What's making you want to leave?” He asked.

Allison tipped her head back to grin at him. “The promise of the future, dude.”

“You’re a loser.” Isaac sighed.

“Optimism my friend.” Allison replied. “There's beauty in the world and life is good.”

She looked so happy and Lydia can almost feel Allison’s enthusiasm. It did make her feel better. Allison had a tendency to do that, it was like one of her superpowers to make her moods contagious.

 

Allison's other superpower?

Reading other people's moods, reading between the lines and understanding people's emotions before they could understand them themselves.

It's another one of the mysteries around Allison, how she actually did it.

One day Lydia might actually ask her.

They'd been on the road for over an hour, the only conversation between them being about the hilarity of watching Stiles fall into the lake and then the series of events that often come hand in hand with watching a group of clumsy people try to take their camp apart.

Lydia knew the conversation was shifting the moment Allison turned down the volume of her music.

“Are you okay?” Allison asked.

“I'm fine.” Lydia replied, tipping her head back against her seat. “Sad to be leaving.”

Allison tapped her fingers against the steering wheel and shifted forward in her seat.

“Nervous to be going back?” Allison hedged carefully.

Lydia closed her eyes for a moment and nodded, letting out a slow breath.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Lydia sighed. “I just… It's complicated.”

Allison's hand left the steering wheel and came to rest gently against Lydia's shoulder.

“You don't have to explain, if you don't want.”

“No, no… It's just… I'm not scared, like, to walk around and stuff.” She sighed. “It's stupid.”

“Not if it bothers you.”

“What will your dad think?” Lydia asked.

Allison frowned at the road, removing her hand for a moment to shift gears and placing her hand on Lydia's knee.

“He's gonna be thrilled, I've liked you for a long time, Lyds and-” she made a sound of realisation. “Wait, are you concerned that he’ll treat you differently?”

Lydia shrugged, ducking her head and staring at Allison's hand. “I figured that because we’re… You know… I just assumed that he wouldn't approve of the sleepovers now.”

“Well… Uh, no. No he’ll be fine with it. He trusts me, it's not like we’ll be-” she cleared her throat, cheeks turning pink. “Nothing's going to change.”

Lydia reached for Allison's hand flipping it over and clasping both hands around it, she could feel the thrum of Allison's pulse against her thumb and the rapid beat was oddly comforting.

“Things might change.” Lydia said quietly.

She heard Allison's confused sound and saw her glancing over.

“Things might change.” She said again, louder this time. “At my home.”

“Are you in-”

“No, not really. I came out a couple of years ago? But… Not entirely sure how much of that was taken in, you know? I'm just saying that when she knows she'll probably treat you differently.”

Allison huffed a quiet laugh. “She doesn't seem to like me all that much anyway.” She looked over at Lydia. “But things are okay right? She isn't going to say anything to you? Cause we don't have to be out, the others won't-”

“No, Alli, I'm out, it's fine.” She stroked her fingers over Allison’s hand. “I don't know, I just couldn't stop thinking about those little changes.”

Allison made a thoughtful sound. “Would it help if you thought about the other ways things will change?”

Lydia let out a considering hum and smiled as she saw Allison smirk. “Maybe.”

“Well… A definite amount of hand holding is to be expected. Cuddling, kissing? Hopefully plenty of dates?”

Lydia's smile grew. “Plenty of dates? And kissing?”

“So much kissing. Seriously, do you like kissing?”

“I love kissing.”

“ _So_ much kissing.” Allison repeated, going as far as to bring one of Lydia's hands up to her lips to prove her point. “Providing you're okay with said kisses.”

Lydia couldn't help the fond look that found its way to her face. Allison and her constant consideration for everyone, her constant drive to make sure Lydia is okay.

“I'm more than okay with it.” Lydia replied.

“So when we get home…” Allison said, resting their hands on the gear stick. “We’re going to be fine, okay?”  
  
“Okay.” Lydia smiled.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY FINALLY DID THE KISS  
> so next chapter will be Thursday or Friday? Tomorrow is the Great British Bake off so there is no chance i'll be able to be productive lmao


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! How are we all?

 

“Lydia? When did you get back?”

Lydia finished off her braid, her hair was still wet from her shower. It had definitely been her first priority once Allison had dropped her off with a kiss and the promise of texting her later.

“About half an hour ago?” Lydia replied, moving towards the kitchen. As much as she loved the trip and no matter how good Derek is, she's definitely missed her coffee.

“How was it?”

“It was amazing.” Lydia sighed. Parts of it already started to feel like a distant memory. She'd have to press Kira to show her all the pictures she took, maybe get an album made or something.

“Oh good. That's good.” Her mother nodded. “So these are the people you're going to be hanging around with?”

“I mean, I've been hanging out with them all summer. They are my best friends.”

“Lydia you've only known them for a month.”

Lydia scratched the side of her head and turned to face her, now holding a cup of coffee. Why did it feel like every conversation they had came back to the group? Why did it feel like she didn't approve of them because they weren't like the people she used to hang out with?

She was getting tired of it.

“Well… I've known Allison, Scott, Stiles and Danny since first grade and this group of people are better friends to me than anyone in LA ever was.” Lydia said. “I care about them all a lot.”

Her mother frowned at her. Lydia gave her a few moments to see if she would respond and when she didn't, Lydia sighed and made her way back to her room.

 

_From: Allison, 7:30pm  
_ _You sure you're okay?_

_To: Allison, 7:35pm  
_ _Yeah, I'm confused because I don't understand why she seems so weird about me being friends with you all but I'm not going to let it bother me_

_From: Allison, 7:37pm  
_ _I may be biased but I think you made a good choice in friendship…_

Lydia smiled down at her phone.

_To: Allison, 7:40pm  
_ _Honestly I think you're the best judge of character_

_From: Allison, 7:42pm  
_ _You think so?_

_To: Allison, 7:43pm  
_ _Yeah Alli, you tend to see the good in people. So I trust you and your opinion more than pretty much anything else_

Lydia wasn't one to watch her phone obsessively. But every second that passed from the moment she hit send weighed on her, building and making the muscles in her shoulders tense up. It's stupid, she knows it's stupid, but she couldn’t help herself. It's a natural human reaction, she reminded herself.

_From: Allison, 7:49pm  
_ _Thank you_

_From: Allison, 7:49pm  
_ _That really means alot to me_

_From: Allison, 7:49pm  
_ _Um_

_From: Allison, 7:50pm  
_ _So I kind of want to hug you right now?_

_From: Allison, 7:50pm  
_ _And kiss you_

_From: Allison, 7:50pm  
_ _Like, a lot_

Lydia was actually glad she was alone so that nobody would be there to see her drop her phone.

And now she couldn’t stop thinking about Allison kissing her. Those fingers cupping her jaw gently and the feather light brush of Allison’s nose against her own right before their lips meet…

Dammit.

_To: Allison, 7:52pm  
_ _Any specific preference?_

It took a moment, but she decided against the winky face. This was still new, fragile. Allison wasn't like the people she's flirted with in the past, wouldn't want her to be. Those times always felt rushed, she wanted to do this right.

_From: Allison, 7:55pm  
_ _Aw come on, that's like making me choose between pizza and ice cream! Like, they're both completely different things and I like both of them_

_From: Allison, 7:56pm  
_ _Sometimes I don't want pizza, I'm not in the mood for it but I could eat ice cream all night and vice versa_

_From: Allison, 7:56pm  
_ _But it doesn't mean I love them any less, you know?_

_From: Allison, 7:57pm  
_ _Sorry… The metaphor kinda got away from me_

_To: Allison, 7:58pm  
_ _No, no, it's a good metaphor. And I get it_

_From: Allison, 8:00pm  
_ _If it's any consolation you provide amazing pizza and ice cream :)_

There was a small fluttering of pride in her chest, warm and pleasant. She was a good kisser, she gave good hugs. Allison _liked_ her hugs and kisses.

_To: Allison, 8:01pm  
_ _It definitely is_

_From: Allison, 8:02pm  
_ _Um, so stop me if I'm moving too fast but do you want to go on a date tomorrow?_

_To: Allison, 8:03pm  
_ _I'd love to_

_From: Allison, 8:04pm  
_ _Cause i have something in mind but… I don't want to disappoint you_

_To: Allison, 8:05pm  
_ _Allison, whatever you do I'm sure I'll love. I trust you okay?_

_From: Allison, 8:07pm  
_ _Okay_

_From: Allison, 8:07pm  
_ _Okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow?_

_To: Allison, 8:08pm  
_ _I can't wait :)_

 

Honestly, the last person she expected to turn up half an hour before her date with Allison was Ethan.

And yet, there he was. Sat in her kitchen. Speaking to her mother.

“Ethan?” She said as she got closer, it was enough to startle both him and her mother, the latter of the two springing from her seat and moving towards the fridge, Lydia watched her suspiciously.  
  
“Lydia, hey.” He swivelled in his seat to face her, a relief in his expression that she couldn’t ignore. “I hope i’m not interrupting?”  
  
“Uh, not right now, no. What’s up?”  
  
“He brought a book that he borrowed back.” Her mother supplied helpfully.

Before Lydia could question what she meant- she knew for a fact that she never loaned a book to Ethan- he made look of vague irritation.  
  
“It’s the book Danny borrowed, that Stephen King one?” He held the book in question towards her and Lydia watched as his expression shifted to something more mischievous.  
  
The only reason she could identify it is because it looked a lot like the expression Danny, Allison and pretty much everyone in their group got. It was alarming how many characteristics they all adopted from each other.

“It’s a good book, Danny read it to me in bed last night.” A quiet but undeniably surprised sound came from the direction of her mother and it took all of Lydia’s self restraint not to burst into laughter. “Well, some of it.” He added with a overly flirtatious tone.

A scandalised sound this time, as her mother made a hasty exit. They both watched her go with raised eyebrows and amused smiles.  
  
“Too far?” Ethan asked.  
  
“Not at all.” Lydia replied. “That was wonderful.”  
  
“Is she homophobic?” His expression grew serious, concerned, even.  
  
“I don’t think so.” Lydia said. “It’s not like she’s outright said something like ‘you’re going to hell!’ But you never really know do you? Until you come out to them? Even though i did come out a couple years ago.” Lydia frowned. “In this case i think she saw the bike helmet and hoped i was finally joining the ‘popular’ kids because apparently social standing is what’s _really_ important.”  
  
Ethan sighed. “Yeah, i get it.” He watched he carefully for a few moments. “So I’m guessing she doesn’t know about you and Allison?” He added in a quieter voice.  
  
“I was actually going to drop it casually today, Allison’s picking me up in like twenty minutes to take me on a date.”

“Respect.” Ethan nodded seriously. “I know if you need to talk to someone you’ll probably go to Allison or whatever, but you have my number if you need it.”  
  
“Thank you, that does mean a lot.”  
  
“And _if_ things go bad, you know you have like nine different families who will adopt you in a heartbeat.”  
  
Considering Lydia could count the one to one conversations she’s had with Ethan on one hand, he certainly knew exactly what to say to have her fighting back the urge to hug him.

“It’s definitely a comforting thought.”  
  
Ethan nodded again and slid from his seat, pausing to pick up his helmet from the ground. “I’ll leave you too it- oh!” He turned to face her again. “Danny also told me to tell you that there’s gonna be a meeting at some point this week for your little social justice group. Allison will no doubt fill you in because it’s their thing.”  
  
“Are you not going to go?” Lydia asked, moving to walk Ethan to the door.  
  
“Probably not.” Ethan shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, i love what they’re doing and i understand why and i’ll always help when i’m needed but it’s just that in the grand scheme of things…”  
  
“You don’t see the point.”  
  
“I just question the impact that is made, does it really make a difference? Will it matter in a few years…”  
  
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you get existential a lot. And not in the ‘space is cool’ way.”  
  
Ethan laughed. “Oh i do.” He agreed. “And space kind of terrifies me, it’s so big and vast and it’s never ending. How can you compare to that? Compared to the universe, we’re smaller than ants and then you bring in time.”  
  
“What about time?”  
  
Ethan scratched his head. “Being forgotten, as time goes on memories fade and you just become nothing, i guess.”  
  
He did have a point, and Lydia had to agree. It was almost reassuring to know that Ethan had these thoughts. He probably grounded Danny and Allison’s optimism a lot.  
  
“But it’s whatever.” Ethan shrugged. “Time goes on, you only live once, live in the moment, yadda yadda.” He grinned. “I might be at the meeting, like i said, but i don’t really have much to contribute but i’ll be involved in whatever plan of action you all draw up.” He opened the front door just as Allison’s car came into view. “Looks like your ride is here.”  
  
“Looks that way.” Lydia smiled.  
  
Ethan winked. “Have a good day, text me whenever.”  
  
“Like when you want to get depressingly existential?”  
  
He made a face. “I wouldn’t call it depressingly, but sure. Hit me up.” He waved a hand as he walked away and Lydia watched for a moment as he approached Allison’s car.  
  
“Lydia? Are you going out?” Her mother called.  
  
“Yeah, not sure when i’ll be home.”  
  
“Are you going out with Ethan?” She asked.  
  
“No, I have a date with Allison.” Lydia replied, already stepping out of the door and pulling it closed behind her. “I’ll see you later.”  
  
She waved at Ethan again as he drove off and got into the passenger seat of Allison’s car. Allison was smiling and studying her carefully.  
  
“You okay?” Allison asked.  
  
“Yep.” Lydia smiled. “Ethan dropped a book off, we got existential and i just told my mom i’m on a date with you.  
  
Allison’s face seemed to cycle through several expressions before settling on a concerned expression. “What did she say?”  
  
“I have no idea.” Lydia laughed. She wasn’t sure why she laughed, she might be freaking out a little bit. She can’t tell if her racing heart is because of openly admitting to her mom that she was going out with Allison or because _of_ the fact that she’s on a date with Allison. Honestly, it’s probably both.  
  
And now she couldn’t stop thinking about the inevitability of life or how much of an ant they all are compared to space.  
  
Shit, it’s a good thing ants don’t have to worry about this stuff. They’d lose their mind.  
  
Allison is still watching her, she looks nervous and concerned, the nervousness is honestly a little adorable but the concern doesn’t sit right on her face, Lydia can admit that she wants to smooth away the furrows in her brow.  
  
“So,” Lydia forces a brighter smile. “What did you have in mind?”  
  
It’s the right thing to say, it makes Allison’s cheeks turn pink and the adorable expressions come filtering through. “Uh, there’s a place i want to show you? But it’s in the next town over so it’s a bit of a drive…”  
  
“I don’t mind.” Lydia cut her off. “I like driving with you.”  
  
Allison smiles. “I like driving with you too.”  
  
Lydia hesitated for only a brief second before she reached for Allison’s hand, just to feel her pulse beneath her skin. “So, what mix are we listening to today?”  
  
It’s their first date, she doesn’t want to linger on the potential fallout from coming out to her mom, she wants to focus on the amazing human beside her who for whatever reason, likes her back.  
  
Allison grinned and put the car in gear. “Okay so it’s called green-”  
  
“Because it makes you think of the colour green?” Lydia asked, an amused laugh breaking past her lips as New Americana begins to play. “Or another type of green?”  
  
“The colour green.” Allison replied.  
  
Lydia resolved herself to never understanding Allison’s method around music. Another one of life's great mysteries.

  
  
The drive in itself was enough to ease the anxieties that had suddenly begun to form in her mind. Allison's thumb whisking over her knuckles every now and again and the constant stream of conversation were just added bonuses.

It took well over an hour of driving before they passed the welcome sign and buildings began to come clearly into view, but it may as well have been minutes as far as Lydia was concerned.

The town reminded her a bit of Beacon Hills, smaller, maybe, more hidden from the world like a mirage in the distance.

It didn't take long for Allison to find a spot and they were soon parked next to a park, in the distance, Lydia could see kids playing and she was sure she could hear their laughter.

“Don't worry, I didn't drive you all the way out here just to go to a park.” Allison said, patting Lydia's knee as she unclipped her seat belt.

“It does look like a nice park.” Lydia noted, she climbed out of the car and let out a contented sigh at the breeze that hit her. It was definitely cooler today, thank God.

She heard Allison laugh and looked over at the girl. She was resting her chin on her car door, looking calm and content.

“So where are we going?” Lydia asked.

Allison closed her car and walked around to Lydia's side. It was the first time she took a moment to take in Allison's outfit and holy _shit_ how was she only just noticing that Allison was wearing a dress?

She was wearing a white dress that cut off mid thigh, wearing another one of her denim jackets, Lydia still hadn't given back the jacket Allison had let her borrow that night at Danny's party. Next time she came over, she'd give it back.

Lydia had to smile at the combat boots she wore, she could always manage to bring a bit of badassery to even the most sweet and innocent of outfits.  
  
Allison’s smile grew questioning as she raised an eyebrow at Lydia. “What is it?” She asked.  
  
“Nothing.” Lydia replied. “You just uh, you look beautiful.”  
  
Allison’s cheeks turned bright pink, eyes widening a fraction before she glanced away, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Thank you. So do you.” She held out her hand. “You ready?”  
  
Lydia took Allison’s hand, their fingers entwining effortlessly. “Lead the way.”

 

They walked in relative silence, both of them only really speaking up when they spot a building or something that looked vaguely interesting. Occasionally someone waved and smiled at Allison, it made sense considering how she moved through the streets with ease, it’s not huge leap to assume that for whatever reason Allison spends a lot of time here.

Though to be honest, Allison does also have that face and general welcoming vibe that made you want to smile and wave, so maybe it’s just the rest of the world falling victim to Allison’s charm.  
  
Both were extremely likely scenarios, as far as Lydia is concerned.  
  
They eventually came to a stop outside a building that looks like it’s seen far better days. The pale blue paint of the wood was peeling away in clumps and had Allison not pointedly stopped them in front of it, Lydia was certain she wouldn’t have even noticed it.

Allison looked unsure, glancing from Lydia to the front door, bouncing gently on the balls of her feet before taking a noticeably deep breath.  
  
“Okay so if you don’t like it, tell me? We can go somewhere else and-”  
  
Lydia smiled and pressed herself against Allison’s side. Apparently it was enough to make her fall silent. “Let's go in, Alli.”  
  
Allison nodded, letting the breath out and smiling. She pulled the door open and stepped to the side to make room for Lydia, gesturing for her to go first.  
  
  
As soon as she stepped inside, immediately smelling coffee as she took in the dark hardwood floors, the solid beams, cream walls and the exposed brick wall. Lydia felt as though she had stepped into a pintrest page. To her left was a counter and a seating area, a small coffee shop and to her right were rows of bookcases and a spiral staircase leading up to a second floor containing even more books.  
  
It felt like whoever owned this place had unintentionally created a hipster Barnes & Noble and Lydia was already in love with it.

“This place is amazing!” She said, not even attempting to keep the awe out of her voice. She turned to face Allison, surprised to find her already facing her. “How did you find this place?”  
  
Out of everything Allison expected her to say, that clearly wasn’t one of them. She reached up to rub the back of her neck.  
  
“That’s uh… Kind of a long story?” She replied. “Do you like it?”  
  
“I love it.”  
  
Allison beamed. “Okay so, do you want coffee first? They bake all their own pastries too.”  
  
“Coffee sounds good.”  
  
  
Allison didn’t even give her a chance to offer to pay, handing over the money before Lydia can let go of her hand to reach into her purse. The elderly woman behind the counter seemed beyond thrilled to see Allison though, and it was an interaction that Lydia watches with interest.  
  
“How have you been, Margot?” Allison asked, her smile had shifted to something a little different from what Lydia was used to seeing, polite but not lacking in sincerity. “How’s your family?”  
  
“They’re fine, we’ll all fine. Byron finally opened his flower store.”  
  
“He did?” Allison’s smile grew. “Where?”  
  
Margot rattled off an address Lydia had no hope of memorising but Allison only nodded “How have you been Allison? Still working for that hospital?”  
  
“Yeah.” Allison replied. “I’m hoping to still be able to carry on once senior year starts.”  
  
Margot gave her a careful look, it was a look full of the genuine concern Lydia would expect to see from a grandma. “Senior year, the hospital, college applications, that club you help run… What else do you do?”  
  
Allison shrugged. “I had been thinking about trying out for the lacrosse team? But..” She shrugged again.  
  
“When do you find time to sleep?” Margot asked, setting their drinks down on the counter.  
  
“I manage.” Allison smiled.  
  
Margot didn’t look convinced, but let it slide in favour of focusing her attention on Lydia. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”  
  
“Ah… My bad.” Allison apologised. “Margot, this is Lydia. Lydia this is Margot, she owns the place with her wife.”  
  
“It’s a beautiful store.” Lydia said.  
  
“You know Allison, of course you’d be a charmer.” Margot said. Allison let out an embarrassed laugh. “How long have you known each other?”  
  
“A long time.” Lydia replied.  
  
The sound of more customers behind them signalled that the conversation was coming to a close, Margot slipped an extra cookie onto the plate and took advantage of the moment to lean towards Lydia.  
  
“Well, take care of her for me will you? Girl’s like one of my own.”  
  
Allison only seemed to look more embarrassed as she took the tray containing their drinks and cookies.  
  
“I will.” Lydia said.  
  
“Thanks Margot.” Allison added.  


“What?” Allison asked as they sat down, she was still smiling.

“It's like she adopted you.” Lydia replied. “She cares.”

“She kinda did.” Allison shrugged. She broke a cookie in half and took a bite. "On some of my bad days i'd get into the car and drive, one day i found myself here and i just kept coming back until Margot and her wife kinda started talking to me and... Yeah, I make a point of coming back as often as i can." She rubbed the back of her neck again. "I haven't actually brought anyone else here before."  
  
"Thank you for bringing me here." Lydia replied.   
  
"You sure?" Allison asked. "It's not too boring?"  
  
Lydia reached for Allison's hand. "It's not, i promise. I love it here."  
  
Allison smiled back, clearly delighted and took a sip of her coffee.

“You should try out for the team.” Lydia said. "Especially if it's something you really want to do."

“Maybe. It doesn't help that most of the people I may as well call my enemies are on the team.”

“None of us would let anything happen.” Lydia replied.

Allison grinned. “I know.”

“So what position would you try out for?” Lydia asked. “How long have you been interested in playing?”

Allison's grin seemed to grow, she glanced down at the table and Lydia followed her gaze in time to watch Allison brush a couple of fingers over Lydia's knuckles. Lydia smiled and turned her hand over to catch her fingers in a loose grip.

“Well i guess it started the year you moved away…” Allison began, lifting her head to meet Lydia's gaze.

 

They talked for so long Lydia forgot they were even in a bookstore, it was way too easy to get lost in conversation. Easy to get lost in her own stories when she has Allison to speak to. Her eyes were attentive and she asked questions that kept Lydia talking longer than she would have thought herself possible. Especially with the way she idly played with Lydia's fingers. Lydia was surprised she managed to stay focused.

It took a while for them to leave the coffee section of the store and migrate over towards the books. It was more extensive than any store she'd been in for a while and she didn’t miss the smile Allison shot in her direction as Lydia found herself drifting towards the non fiction aisle.

She brushed her fingers over the spines, the worn covers, pausing briefly to skim the first few pages. So many of these books must be donations, Lydia wondered who could give such wonderful things up.

Lydia glanced towards the end of the aisle, catching a brief glance of Allison a short distance away, staring down into a book. After a few moments Allison looked up and smiled, causing Lydia to avert her gaze quickly and feeling another blush rise to her cheeks.

As a distraction, she pulled a book from the shelf, plain and unassuming. As she flicked to the first page she saw a diagram of the stars. It was a book about stars, the mythology behind their names. It was clearly dated, published in the thirties and no doubt full of inaccuracies…

But the way the author talked about the stars… It's with the same sense of wonder Allison seemed to exhibit.

Allison needed to have this book.

“Found something?”

Lydia snapped the book shut with so much force as she looked up at Allison they both startled.

“Sorry.” Allison said. “You okay?”

“I'm sorry.” Lydia held the book to her chest and smiled. “I… Kinda? It's for you?”

Allison blinked and dropped her arm, Lydia noticed a book in her hand.

“That's… I actually saw this and thought about you.” Allison replied. She laughed and reached up to rub the back of her neck. “You don't have to buy me anything.”

“Well neither do you.” Lydia pointed out

Allison smiled. “Oh I definitely do.”

“So do I.”

They held each other's gaze for a moment before Allison grinned, Lydia ducked her head to laugh. She felt Allison step into her space and wrap an arm around her shoulder to pull her into a brief hug, bumping her forehead against the side of Lydia's head in the process.

“Okay.” She laughed. “We’ll buy each other a book.”

“It's about the stars.” Lydia supplied, trying not to sigh when Allison pulled away but unable to help her smile as Allison's eyes lit up.

“You know me too well.” Allison said. She held out a hand that Lydia took gladly. “Yours is… Well, it's about two girls fighting against the universe to be together.”

“Sounds interesting.”

Allison smiled. “I hope so.”

Lydia pressed closer to Allison's side as they walked towards the counter. “Did you know that Ethan is scared of space?”

Allison nodded slowly. “I did. It's why Gravity is out of the movie night roster.”

“I can't blame him. Space is… Well…” Lydia hesitated, taking a moment to focus on the warmth of Allison against her side. “It's enough to give me an existential crisis if I think too much about it sometimes.”

“How so?” Allison asked. They joined the line to pay for their books.

“It's just hard to feel like anything matters, compared to the size of the universe we’re nothing, we’re so small and insignificant.”

They moved forward in the line and Lydia chose to focus on the kid in front of them rummaging through her wallet. It made it almost easier to handle Allison's gaze.

“I think it's awesome.” Allison said. “To get to exist in this universe, together. Danny told me once that we all have stardust in our veins, like it’s actual science, there’s something in our veins that is the same stuff stars are made of. We’re all a part of this…” She trailed off and looked away from Lydia to stare at the kid in front of them.

It was clear to Lydia from the look on the kids face that she didn't have enough money for the book in her hand, just as she was about to move out of the line, Allison stepped forward and silently placed a few dollars on the counter, clearly paying for the book on the kids behalf. The awed expression and subsequent blinding smile from the young girl as she thanked Allison. Allison just smiled back, small and kind.

Lydia probably had a similar expression of awe, if she were being honest with herself.

Allison stepped back to join Lydia's side, her arm finding its way around her waist again.

“I think it's like that law of physics… The opposite one.” Allison continued as if she hadn’t just made a child's day by paying for her book.

“Newton's third law.” Lydia supplied. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.” The words come to her with practised ease.

They stepped up to the counter to pay for their books as Allison's laughs... “That's the one. I love that you know that. But yeah, kind of like that? Every choice we make matters, somehow and in someway.”  
  
“Aren’t you scared sometimes? That when we’re gone… We’ll be forgotten?”  
  
“Nope.” Allison replied, there wasn't a trace of hesitation in her voice. She took a pen from the counter and flipped open the cover of the book she had picked out for Lydia. “We can leave our marks on the world however we want.”  
  
Lydia watched as she wrote something inside the book, Allison was definitely making sure that Lydia couldn’t see what she was doing. When she was finished, she closed the book and tapped the cover.  
  
“See? Now sometime in the future, someone’s gonna find this book, whether it’s in a thrift store or passed down or whatever… They’re gonna have a small part of our history.” She slipped the book into the bag the cashier had provided, apparently not wanting Lydia to read what she had written just yet. “Nobody is ever really forgotten and…” She trailed off and smiled. “What?”

Lydia shook her head. “You… Can I kiss you?”

Allison nodded. “Absolutely.”

Lydia rose up to kiss her, with more force than she had probably intended if the way Allison leant back and tightened her hold on Lydia's waist, all while smiling into the kiss.

Lydia pulled away when she heard a polite cough. They both looked behind them at the woman waiting for them to move away from the counter so she could continue her job. Allison apologised quietly and reached for Lydia’s hand to pull her away.  


“So now what do you want to do?” Allison asked, squinting up at the sun.

“We could go for a walk?” Lydia suggested. “That park did look nice.”

“We can drop the books off at the car… Get some ice cream…” Allison began to walk backwards, gently tugging on Lydia's hand.

“Sounds wonderful.” Lydia replied, all too happy to go where Allison led her.

  
  
“Thank you, for today.” Lydia said.  
  
“Thank you for coming on a date with me.” Allison replied, shrugging slightly and swinging their hands between them. They were only walking from Allison’s car to her front door, it was completely unnecessary for Allison to walk with her but she had insisted anyway.  
  
If Lydia hadn’t been busy finding it incredibly endearing, she would probably find it (adorably) dorky instead.

“So hey…” Allison cleared her throat. “Do you think it’s too soon if i ask if i can call you my girlfriend?”

“Not at all. As long as that means i can call you my girlfriend too?” Lydia replied, lifting her head to meet Allison’s gaze.  
  
The smile of relief that passed over Allison’s face was possibly the cutest thing she’s seen all week.  
  
“I’d love that.””  
  
“Okay. Can i kiss you?”  
  
Allison’s smile grew wider. “Okay.”

Allison leaned down to meet her in a brief kiss, pulling away after only a moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Allison asked.  
  
They didn’t have plans, though to be honest if Lydia has learned anything about her group of friends unless there’s an issue that needs to be addressed, planning doesn't seem to be a word in their vocabulary. They’re all about lazy hangouts, Lydia loved it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Lydia nodded.

She watched Allison walk back to her car before she let herself into the house, pausing for a moment to take in the sudden silence.  
  
  
By the time she dropped onto the bed, Lydia felt almost ready to fall asleep. Before she could even think about doing so, Lydia settled the book in her lap and opened it, a delighted laugh falling from her lips before she can even think about it as her fingers traced the delicate cursive of Allison’s writing.  
  
_You’re the most wonderful thing i’ve ever seen_ _  
_ _-Allison_  
  
  
Lydia closed the book, hugging it to her chest before she placed it on the pillow beside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter will probably be on Saturday?  
> Actually is the update schedule okay? I'm trying to keep them as regular as i can  
> Anyway, have a safe day!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!  
> I'm sorry it's later than i said it would be, i was sick and lowkey got distracted by a new videogame

 

“I thought that when you begin to date someone the general idea was to spend time with them.”

Lydia startled slightly at the sudden closeness of the voice, causing her to draw her pen across her napkin slightly. She lifted her head just as Derek pulled out the seat opposite her and sat down.

When Lydia had arrived at the coffee shop, she had found that the group had apparently decided to take a page straight out of an episode of friends and had taken up half of the room, sofa included.

Allison had been (and still was) stood by a table in the corner, engaged in a intense looking conversation with Scott and Danny.

“She's in the middle of a conversation.” Lydia replied.

They'd greeted each other with whispered hellos and a soft squeeze of hands. Lydia had told Allison to carry on with what she was doing and went on to order her (and Allison) a coffee.

Lydia hadn't meant to get distracted, but she'd gotten distracted by watching Allison's hand movements and had completely forgotten about the rest of the group in favour of trying to capture those movements on the back of a napkin.

Derek hummed. “So, in a couple of weeks my family are throwing a barbecue, the whole group is invited.”  
  
Lydia nodded. “Okay?”  
  
“It’s my farewell party, i’ll be leaving for college the next day.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
The knowledge of Derek leaving soon had been looming over the entire group all summer, it’s something that none of them make an effort to bring up, even Allison doesn’t talk about it. Lydia knew how close she was with Derek and the knowledge of one her best friends moving to New York is going to be upsetting at the very least.

“You know she won’t admit it, if she’s sad.” Derek said.  
  
“Yeah.” Lydia replied.  
  
“You’ll watch her back?”  
  
“As if you even need to ask.”

Derek smiled “I’m glad the two of you are together, it was a long time coming.”

Lydia looked down and smiled as she folded up the napkin and slipped it into her bag. Derek wasn’t the first to say something like that, at some point or another everyone from the group had said something to her, it was nice to know how supportive and encouraging they all were to be honest.

“Hey Lyds.” Allison called gently, appearing at the side of the table and kneeling so that she could rest her arms and chin on the table to look at Lydia. “How do you feel about coffee and walnut cake?”  
  
“Big fan.” Lydia replied.  
  
Allison nodded seriously. “So if i were to propose splitting a slice and grabbing the comfy spot on the sofa before Danny can claim it…?”  
  
“I would be all for this idea.”

Allison grinned and lifted her hand to point a finger at her own lips. “May i?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Allison rose up and kissed the corner of Lydia’s mouth, hand coming up to brush against her cheek and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Allison pulled away after a moment and stood up to drift towards the counter.  
  
Lydia watched her go, ducking her head to hide her blush upon hearing Derek sigh.

“It's like watching a Disney movie.”

“Shut up.” Lydia mumbled.  
  
“I don’t know about you, but Allison can sing, it’s like if Snow White and Ariel met.”  
  
Lydia hid her face in her hands and groaned. “Oh my God.”  
  
She couldn’t even be mad at Derek’s lighthearted teasing, Allison would make a perfect Snow White _and_ he had compared her to her own favourite Disney princess.  
  
“Seriously though,” Derek spoke up, his voice losing it’s teasing edge and making Lydia look up to met his gaze. “I’m happy for you.”  
  
Lydia managed a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Derek, stop teasing my girlfriend.” Allison called, appearing in Lydia’s peripheral as she struggle to carry two cups and a plate with a huge slice of cake. Lydia sprung up from her seat to take the drinks from Allison and follow her towards the sofa.

“How about we move on to teasing you about how you look like the happiest puppy ever whenever you call Lydia your girlfriend.” Erica said, grinning from her spot on the sofa where she’s curled into Boyd’s side while Cora watched from his other side..  
  
Allison sighed but her smile stayed in place.

“I’m pretty sure she used the word ‘girlfriend’ at least a dozen times, and that was before you got here.” Stiles supplied.

“Is it pick on Allison time?” Allison asked.  
  
She set the cake down on the coffee table and sat down, Lydia set their drinks down beside it and sat next to Allison, with Boyd, Erica and Cora all on the sofa too, Lydia found herself wedged between Allison and the arm of the sofa. Allison definitely didn’t seem to mind as Lydia felt her relax against her.

“It’s always pick on Allison time.” Cora replied with a shrug.  
  
“True.” Allison agreed. She angled her head so that she was looking up at Lydia. “You good?”  
  
“Yeah, you?”

Allison hummed and nuzzled closer against Lydia. “Sorry it took so long talking with Danny and Scott.”

“It's okay, what were you talking about?” Lydia adjusted her arm so that it was around Allison's shoulder, she was pretty surprised at her own forwardness, at how easily she made the move.

“We were discussing ideas for how to let the freshman know about the group.” Danny said, taking the seat she had previously occupied.

“And then we got into the possibility of Allison trying out for the team.” Scott added.

“You're going to tryout?” Lydia asked.

Allison gave a small shrug. “Maybe? I don't know.”

“I think you should.” Lydia said. “I'd be your personal cheerleader.”

Allison smiled, Lydia tried not to focus on how she could feel the movement against her neck.

“I’d like that.”

“You're both sickening.” Malia groaned, throwing a piece of their muffin at them both.

“It's adorable.” Kira cooed and Lydia could swear both her and Scott had literal heart eyes.

“Do you two plan on eating that cake at some point?” Stiles asked.

“Cuddling first.” Allison said, she reached up with her free hand and laced their fingers together. “Then cake.”

“Agreed.” Lydia nodded, giving her fingers a squeeze.

“Are we just hanging out here all day?” Erica asked.

“What?” Allison frowned lifting her head slightly. “Come on people, my hearing ear is on my girlfriend’s shoulder, speak up.”

“We’re going to start a girlfriend jar.” Cora said. “Every time you call Lydia your girlfriend you put a dollar in the jar.”

“Will you accept IOU’s and good intentions?” Allison asked. “I'm small and poor.”

“We’re not starting a girlfriend jar.” Derek sighed. “Erica asked if we were just going to hang out here all day.”

“Oh.” Allison dropped her head back against Lydia. “I don't know? Whatever everyone else wants to do.”

“Let's just stay like this for a while.” Boyd said. “There’s no hurry, nowhere to go.”  
  
Lydia liked the sound of that.

 

“I could get used to this.” Allison murmured, stretching as she yawned before settling back down, her head resting in Lydia's lap.

“I agree.” Lydia replied, stroking a hand through Allison’s hair and smiling when the girl caught her hand and tangled their fingers together.

Lydia had to admit that she had never been on a date that involved curling up on the sofa together and taking a nap while a movie plays in the background, but she loved it.

In general she found Allison to be incredibly cute, but there was just something about post nap Allison that took cuteness and threw an extra layer of cute and adorableness. Lydia couldn't tell if it was the ruffled hair, slightly smudged makeup or the fact that she was extra cuddly but she loved it.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Allison asked. “Dad’s probably gonna bring Chinese takeout back.”

It occurred to Lydia that she hadn't actually seen Chris since she and Allison had started dating and it immediately made Lydia pause. Even though Allison had reassured her time and time again that he wouldn't treat Lydia differently, it still made her a little uncertain.

“Sure, if you don't mind.”

Allison smiled and looked up at Lydia. “Of course not, I-” she paused to look at Lydia and sat up, turning so they were face to face. “You're worried about seeing my dad aren't you?”

Lydia sighed and dropped her gaze. “It's stupid. I know you've told me already but I just… I don't want to mess this up.”

“Hey,” Allison said softly, touching her fingers to Lydia’s jaw to get her to look at her. “It's not stupid and you aren't going to mess anything up. Besides, it doesn't matter if I told. You already, I'll keep telling you if that's what you need, there's nothing wrong with that.”

“It doesn't annoy you?” Lydia asked.

“Lyds, of course not.” Allison smiled at her, gentle and so full of affection. “If you're worried about something and I can make it easier by talking you through it then I'll sit here with you and talk about until you don't feel that way.”

Lydia looked down at their hands and knew Allison meant what she had said, she always did after all, but Lydia couldn't help but be in awe of Allison.

It's taking some getting used to, but Lydia knew she could talk to Allison about anything and that Allison would be understanding and infinitely patient.

“It feels weird.” Lydia said. “I always had these thoughts and feelings back in LA but I was so focused on being a queen bee and everything I just… I don't know.”

“We go to great lengths to hide who we are from others but also from ourselves.” Allison shrugged. “You don't have to hide anymore so without that persona it's easier to be aware of your worries.”

“How did you learn all of this?” Lydia asked.

Allison pushed a hand through her hair and smiled. “Experience, mostly. I learned a bit from therapy too. I still struggle to open up about my negative feelings but being reassured by everyone that I can talk about them and that they're okay to have has helped me a lot.”

Lydia shifted closer until she could rest her head on Allison’s shoulder. Barely a second passed before Allison wrapped her arms around Lydia and held her close.

“You don't have to do anything alone Lyds, ever. Okay?”

Lydia nodded. “Okay.”

Allison moved a hand to rub her back. “Do you want a drink?” She asked.  
  
“Yes please.”  
  
  
“Allison texted me your usual order, is that okay?” Chris asked. He set the bag down on the kitchen counter.  
  
“Yes, thank you.”  
  
“Allison, could you start plating everything up?” His hand dropped to the gun at his hip. “I need to go lock this away.”  
  
“Sure.” Allison got up and made her way towards the cupboards. Lydia trailed after her to help.  
  
“You good?” Allison asked.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Allison grinned at her and handed her a plate. She reached into the bag and let out a pleased sound. “Fuck yes! Eggrolls!”  
  
“Allison!” Chris called from his office. “Language!”  
  
“Sorry!” Allison called back.  
  
  
“Do you think Wall-E could actually happen one day?” Allison asked, frowning at the TV.  
  
“Not in our lifetime.” Lydia replied. “Though i’m not sure if that’s reassuring or not.”  
  
Allison hummed and continued to play with Lydia’s hand. After dinner none of them had really wanted to move and decided to channel flick until they found the movie. Lydia itched to curl up to cuddle against her girlfriend but she could constantly feel Chris’ presence from the corner of the room, even though he wasn’t even looking in their direction. She knew that Allison could tell she was thinking about it and didn’t go any further than holding her hand and an arm around her waist.  
  
As the movie went on, however, Lydia felt herself grow more comfortable and eventually let her head rest against Allison’s shoulder and by the time the movie ended, Lydia was almost asleep against her.

Though all of the sleepy feeling left Lydia as Allison’s phone rang loudly, startling Lydia into sitting upright.  
  
“Sorry.” Allison apologised, squeezing Lydia’s hand. She checked her phone. “It’s Derek, i’ll be right back.”  
  
She watched Allison head towards her room, answering her phone and cheerfully greeting Derek. Lydia looked back to the TV and realised that the movie was finished and was now playing commercials.  
  
“How are you doing Lydia?” Chris asked.  
  
Lydia met his gaze. “I’m good, thank you.”  
  
Chris nodded slowly. “I haven’t had a chance to say it yet, but i’m really happy for you and Allison. I’m glad you’re together.”  
  
“I-”  
  
“And i wanted to make sure that you know that you’re always welcome here, i don’t want you to think that i’m going to treat you any differently just because you two are dating now.”  
  
“Thank you.” Lydia said quietly. She kind of wanted to hug him.  
  
Chris was a great father, he made sure Lydia knew he cared while her own father hadn’t so much as called to see how she was doing, the last she had heard from him was the half assed email inviting her to New York for Christmas.

“Ah i’m working tomorrow.” Allison announced, walking back into the room and dropping down onto the sofa. “There was a mistake in the shifts.”  
  
“How long are you working?” Chris asked.  
  
“Just till lunch.” Allison replied.  
  
Lydia stroked a hand over her hair and Allison beamed at her and nuzzled closer. “Is Derek working too?”  
  
“Yeah, i’m picking him up cause his car is in the shop.” She looked over to Chris. “Do we have any ice cream?”  
  
Chris raised an eyebrow at her before sighing and getting to his feet and heading into the kitchen. Allison’s grin only grew.  
  
“You okay?” Allison asked.  
  
“Yeah.” Lydia smiled. “I talked to your dad. I feel okay now.”  
  
“Good, i’m glad.”  
  
“Can i kiss you?” Lydia asked.  
  
Allison leaned up into Lydia’s space, their noses almost brushing. “Definitely.”

   
  


After so many days of near perfect weather, Lydia figured that it would only be a matter of time until she woke up to heavy rain and thunder rumbling in the distance.  
  
At least this time they weren’t stuck in tents.

Lydia sighed and rolled onto her side, reaching under her pillow to grab her phone and unlocking it to find a bunch of new texts waiting to be read.

The first was from Allison, a wonderful selfie of her pouting in front of the window, cloudy sky filling the backdrop. The second was a text lamenting about having to go to work.

The third was from Danny, inviting her over to Stiles’ place for video games. He’d even offered to pick her up.  
  
After saving the selfie from Allison and responding with one of her own, Lydia replied to Danny and got up to get ready and grab some breakfast before he could pick her up.  
  
She wished she had Allison’s hoody, it was baggy and snug and perfect for this type of weather.

Okay, truthfully she wished she had Allison to cuddle, but that would have to wait until she’s finished with work.

Her phone began to ring, Lydia glanced down to see Danny’s face on her screen. She didn’t have to look through the window to know that he was parked outside.  
  
She sent another text to Allison, wishing her a good day at work, before grabbing her bag and heading out to meet him.

“You know, you’re not very good at this.” Malia commented idly as they watched Lydia explode in a spectacular fashion on screen.

Lydia winced in sympathy for the character and passed the controller over to Danny as the game switched over to the loading screen.  
  
“I’m not exactly an expert at video games.” Lydia replied. “Anyway, why are we playing Fallout? It’s single player?”

“We do it all the time.” Stiles shrugged. “Gives us all breaks while watching the other run for their lives from irradiated monsters.”  
  
“It also leaves at least one other person to look up cool places to check out.” Malia added, they shifted in their seat as their eyes lit up. “Danny, dude, go in that building.”  
  
Danny frowned. “It’s clearly a trap.”  
  
“Exactly. Break out the shotgun.”  
  
They were in Stiles’ room, even over the upbeat 50’s music playing from the TV, Lydia could still hear the rain hitting the window. It was a little cramped with Lydia, Danny and Stiles all cramped up together on Stiles’ bed while Malia had claimed the lone chair for themselves.

It was warm and comfortable in his room, even though it did smell a little like old fast food and a heavy dose of axe body spray, it was nice.  
  
Danny let out a resigned sigh. “I’m going to die.”

“Yeah but it’s going to be so cool.” Malia grinned.  
  
Stiles rolled his eyes fondly, head looking towards the desk when his phone beeps loudly. He clambered over Lydia and Danny to grab it and almost fell off of the bed in the process.

“It's Scott.” Stiles said, fingers flying over the screen. “Him and Kira are up. We should do something soon.”

“Like what?” Malia frowned, they moved to join them on the bed and draped themselves over Stiles to peer down at Stiles’ phone. “It's raining and anymore people in this room will be…”

“Can't think of a pun?” Danny asked.

“Give me a minute.” Malia muttered.

“We could see a movie?” Stiles suggested. “Lydia, what time does Allison and Derek finish work?”

“Lunch time.” Lydia replied. “They should be on their break right now, should I text her?” She already had her phone out.

“Sure. Mal, text your cousin and see if those three want to come out.”

“Four.” Malia corrected. “Isaac crashed the night too.”

“Oh cool, good for them.”

Lydia typed out her message to Allison while Stiles and Malia continued to talk.

_To: Allison, 10:45am  
_ _Do you have plans after work?_

_From: Allison, 10:46am  
_ _No, why?_

_To: Allison, 10:46am  
_ _Stiles wants us all to go see a movie. He's rallying the troops as we speak._

_From: Allison, 10:47am  
_ _Oh neat! Yeah sure, I'll go home and change first though, grab some stuff. Do you need anything?_

Lydia smiled at her screen.

_To: Allison, 10:48am  
_ _A hug?_

_From: Allison, 10:48am  
_ _I solemnly swear to give you a hug to die for the moment we see each other._

_To: Allison, 10:49am  
_ _And a kiss?_

_From: Allison, 10:49am  
_ _I think I can manage a kiss or two ;)_

_From: Allison, 10:49am  
_ _Oh damn, gotta get back to work! Text me the details, okay?_

_To: Allison, 10:50am  
_ _I will, have a good shift, stay safe_

_From: Allison, 10:50  
_ _ <3 <3 _

“You’re blushing.” Malia said.

“Cute.” Danny cooed.  
  
“Scott and Kira are on their way.” Stiles said, he set his phone to the side and began to clamber over Malia to get to the computer.

“So you two are pretty cosy.” Malia spoke up, nudging Lydia with their elbow as they stole the controller from Danny. “How’s that going?”

“Really well.” Lydia replied, locking her phone and sliding it into her bag. “I just… Yeah.”  
  
“You are both adorable.” Danny laughed.  
  
Malia hummed but Stiles turned to give Lydia a serious look.  
  
“How’s your mom taking it? Is everything okay?”  
  
“She hasn’t really mentioned it.” Lydia sighed. “She asked how the date went the morning after, but it felt really forced. At least she’s trying though.”  
  
“You know, if you need help to talk to her...” Danny began.  
  
“Please don’t tell me you have a pamphlet for that.” Stiles sighed.

“No but i’m working on it.” Danny replied. “I was going to suggest setting her up to talk with one of our parents. Just not Chris, that could go in a bad direction.”  
  
“He’s also not the best at talking.” Stiles added.  
  
“Just like your dad.” Malia snickered behind their can of soda.

They all paused thoughtfully. Stiles’ phone beeped with another message and Malia paused the video game.

“Danny, maybe you should get your mom to hang out with Lydia’s mom?” Stiles suggested. “Invite Melissa too. Also Talia.”  
  
“This is a good idea.” Danny grinned, patting Lydia’s knee. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” Lydia replied. “I think she still expects to go back to LA at some point. Very much the ‘what will the neighbours think!’ type.”  
  
“Yikes.” Malia murmured.  
  
“Yikes indeed.” Lydia agreed.  
  
The front door knocked loudly and Stiles scrambled from his seat. “That’s Scott and Kira!” He announced loudly, he pointed a finger at them all. “We’ll put a pin in this conversation okay? The movies call to us!”

 

The rain was persistent to say the least. Lydia was just thankful that Kira had brought an umbrella so that she didn’t have to walk from the parking lot into the cinema exposed to the rain.

Boyd, Erica, Cora and Isaac were already inside, stood together and staring at the various posters decorating the walls.

“About time you losers showed up.” Isaac called. “They pronouns today, by the way.” They added.  
  
“Stiles wanted to stop for snacks.” Malia shrugged, they reached over to pat his chest, there was a noticeable crunch.  
  
“We saw Derek and Allison on the way here.” Cora added. “The dorks were heading back to my place, probably so Derek can get changed. They’ll be here soon.”  
  
“So what are we seeing?” Kira asked, bouncing past and leaning on Isaac to look at the posters.  
  
“These three,” Boyd gestured to Cora, Erica and Isaac. “Want to see that new horror movie.”  
  
“The one with the insect that bites a woman and she becomes like a half insect person?” Stiles asked, wide eyed. “That looks terrifying i love it.”

“This is why we like you Stiles.” Erica sighed happily.

“Horror movie bonding time then.” Danny laughed. “Ethan is gonna be sorry he missed this.” He gave Scott’s back a firm pat and began to walk towards the counter. “I’ll get the tickets, we can figure out the money thing later.”

“Hey, Allison!” Erica called.

Lydia span around, feeling her heart sink at seeing no one there but soon felt Erica’s arms drape over her shoulders.  
  
“Sorry, shitty move. I couldn’t resist.” Erica apologised through her laughter.  
  
Lydia pouted. “It’s fine.”  
  
“Wanna come shopping tomorrow?” Erica asked. “Me and Isaac want to start getting back to school stuff.”  
  
“Sounds fun.” Lydia replied, turning away from the entrance to face Erica. “It’s been awhile since we had a shopping trip.”  
  
“I’ll ask the others if they want to come too.” Erica said. “You should ask your girlfriend.”  
  
“I’ll ask her when she…” Lydia trailed off as Erica looked past her, grinning. “Are you just playing with me?”  
  
Erica’s grin only grew and it was at that moment she heard a laugh that she had definitely memorised at this point and promptly span away from Erica and let out a sound that was more than an excited squeak than she would like to admit, if Erica’s laugh was anything to go by, it was a sound that definitely did not go unnoticed.  
  
Allison and Derek had walked through the door, Allison in her burgundy hoody and in the process of pulling down the hood and shaking her hair free as she waved at Scott and Kira.  
  
Lydia pulled away from Erica to walk over to her, the moment Allison caught her gaze she opened her arms in invitation.  
  
As soon as Lydia was close enough, Allison wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her against her. There was enough force and urgency in the movement to make Lydia all but stumble into Allison's chest, hands clumsily grabbing at her sides.

It was moments like this when Lydia became aware of their height difference, having to lean up just to be able to rest her head comfortably against Allison's shoulder. She couldn’t help but notice the way in which Allison's fingers press into her shoulders, almost clinging to her, the feeling of Allison's nose brushing against her head as she nuzzled into her.

Something felt off, kind of.

“Are you okay?” Lydia asked.

She felt Allison sigh and hug her a little tighter. “I'll be okay. How are you?”

Lydia closed her eyes and relaxed against Allison. “I’m fine.”

“Do you still want that kiss?” Allison asked.

“Yes please.”

Allison's hands moved up her shoulders and brushed against the back of her neck until they could cup her jaw and ease her head up until she could kiss her softly.

“You two know the movie starts soon right?” Stiles called.

“Let them have their moment.” Lydia heard Derek sigh.

Allison pressed another kiss to the corner of her mouth and cheek before pulling away.

“Definitely worth the wait.” Lydia smiled.

Allison smiled back, Lydia watched her for a moment and there was definitely something there and Lydia wasn't sure if it was sadness or tiredness, she just wanted to help Allison.

She wrapped her arms around Allison's waist and hugged her tight, Allison made a small sound of surprise.

“How was work?”

“Tiring.” Allison replied. “What are we seeing?”

“Some kind of horror.” Lydia frowned.

“...You don't like horror.” Allison replied. “Will you be okay?”

“I'll be fine.” Lydia pulled back and glanced around for their friends and reached for one of Allison's hands. “Do you want popcorn? My treat.”

Allison looked like she was going to protest but Lydia squeezed her hand. “Please, Ally? Let me do this.”

Allison smiled. “Only if we share.”

 

Collectively, the group took up an entire row of seats. Allison grabbed the aisle seat while Lydia took the seat to her left. Beside her, Kira was talking animatedly to Scott as people filed into the room.

Before the trailers even began to play, Allison has her arm around Lydia's shoulders as they quietly told each other about their days, pausing only when candy was passed down to them from the others.

Lydia is so distracted, that by the time the movie starts she's almost forgotten that it's a horror.

Until the first jump scare happened and she barely covered her mouth in time to muffle her scream.

Allison was leaning forward immediately, almost knocking their popcorn over in the process. Her eyes were full of concern and Lydia focused on those eyes instead of the bloodbath currently happening on screen.

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly.  
  
Lydia nodded, casting a brief glance over at the screen and yep- still a bloodbath. “Is it going to be like this the whole time?”  
  
“Probably.” Allison admitted. “Do you want to leave?”  
  
“No, no. I’ll be okay.” Lydia replied, she hoped so. She could get through this.  
  
“Are you sure?”

Lydia drew Allison’s arm more securely around her shoulder and laced their fingers together. “I’m sure.” She rested her head on Allison’s shoulder. “Can i just hide against you if things get worse?”  
  
Allison turned her head to nuzzle against Lydia’s. “Sure.”  
  
  
“So the trick to getting through a horror movie is to just try and guess the dumbest plot twists.” Lydia mused as they all walked out of the screen.  
  
“You’d be surprised at how often the predictions turn out right.” Stiles sighed. Poor guy was clearly disappointed with the ending.  
  
“The true horror story is the huge plot holes.” Allison added, drifting away from Lydia’s side long enough to throw the remains of their popcorn in trash.  
  
As they all neared the exit, Lydia could see that it was still raining and the constant people entering and leaving the cinema had left their reception cold.  
  
“So what is everyone doing now?” Erica asked.  
  
There were a few murmurs as they all looked to each other, meanwhile, Allison had shed her hoody and was now holding it out towards Lydia.

For once, Lydia didn’t protest and instead whispered her thanks and pulled the hoody on, glancing away and smiling when Allison stepped in close to brush her hair from her face.

“Oh look it’s Matt.” Malia practically growled.  
  
Lydia felt Allison tense as they all looked towards where Malia was pointing.

He was with the same people Lydia recognised from the mall, he didn't seem to notice them at first, not until the person to his right nudged him with their elbow and Lydia could practically see the sneer come to his face.

“Maybe we should leave?” Isaac suggested.

“That's code for ‘don't start a fight’ isn't it?” Erica asked.

“I'm not gonna start anything.” Allison murmured.

Lydia figured that what Allison meant was ‘I'm not going to start it, but if I get the chance, I'm going to finish it.

“Well hey there.” Matt greeted as him and his group drew closer. “I was wondering when I'd see you losers again.”

Allison drew in a deep breath, Lydia shot her a cursory glance and saw her clench her hands into fists.

Jesus, Allison _really_ didn't like this guy.

Truthfully, the idea that Allison could dislike someone is still a weird concept to her.

“Oh Matt, you say the sweetest things.” Stiles replied.

Matt smiled, eyes flickering over the group and settling on Lydia, raising an eyebrow at her.

“So I hear you two are a thing now?” He gestured between her and Allison. “Shame.”

This time Lydia was the one to raise an eyebrow at him.

“Oh Matt, you're like a black hole of stupidity and ignorance.”

It was the deadpan way in which she delivered the line that had Lydia choking back a surprised laugh.

“Yet I'm the one on the lacrosse team?” Matt said.

“With the way you treat us and your teammates, I wouldn't be optimistic about sticking around.” Boyd spoke up.  
  
“The only way you’ll be allowed to stay on the team is if you make captain.” Danny said. “And let's be honest, that isn’t going to happen.” He turned to grin at Scott.

A look of annoyance flashed over Matt’s face, the person beside him leaned forward to mutter something, Lydia definitely heard something about their movie being about to start.

“You losers have fun.” Matt said, drifting away before any of them could speak up.

“God I hate him so much.” Allison hissed.

Lydia grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He's not worth it.”

“Oh believe me I know.” Allison replied, she stepped closer to lean into Lydia's side. “But God I hate him.”

“They've been in many a fist fight.” Stiles said, moving closer to grab Allison's shoulders. “Well done for not fighting him.”

“It wasn't as though he was actively trying to start something physical.” Allison murmured.

“Still, well done.” Derek said.  
  
Allison nodded slowly and looked down at the ground.

“So where are we going?” Scott asked, clearly in an attempt to bring everyone back on track.

“I could go for some food?” Kira suggested.

“Food sounds good.” Cora nodded. “I could go for food.”

There was a chorus of agreement.

“I might actually head home.” Allison said. “I'm kinda tired from work and everything.”

Derek nodded, an expression of understanding on his face. He looked a little tired too, Lydia thought.

“It's been a long day.” He agreed. “You should rest.”

Lydia skimmed her thumb over Allison's knuckle. “Thank you for today.”

Allison turned to her, cheeks turning pink. “Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come too?”

Erica whistled under her breath, though she was quickly elbowed in the side by Isaac.

“Sure. I'd like that.”

Allison smiled. “Awesome.” She pulled Lydia's hood up over her head. “We’ll see you lot later?” She asked, turning to face the group.

“Probably.” Stiles replied, he ruffled Allison's hair. “You kids have fun now.”

Allison scoffed and poked Stiles in the ribs. “Dork.”

“Do you want tea? Coffee? Cocoa?” Allison asked.

 

Lydia closed the door behind them and watched Allison drift towards the kitchen. Lydia shoved her hands into the pockets of the hoody and followed her into the room.

“I'll have whatever you're having.”

“Cocoa then.” Allison shot her a smile over her shoulder.

Cocoa, in the middle of summer. Who would have thought?

Lydia settled for watching her move around the kitchen, grabbing mugs from the cupboard and stifling a yawn into the back of her hand.

Truthfully, Lydia was feeling a little tired herself, she wasn't sure if it was a genuine tiredness or just a side effect from the rain and being warm and comfortable in Allison's hoody- even though it was slightly damp from rain now.

“What did Derek mean when he said it had been a long day?” Lydia found herself asking.

She'd been mulling over the thought since they'd left the group and began the journey home. It was only three in the afternoon and Allison had worked a five hour shift before meeting them.

Allison didn't respond for a moment, though Lydia saw how her muscles tensed under her t-shirt and resisted the sudden urge to move closer to touch.

“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.” Lydia rushed to amend. “I understand if you don't.”

Allison finished making the cocoa in silence before turning to face her, leaning back against the counter and gripping the edge with enough force her knuckles began to turn white.

Lydia watched her and waited, it didn't take long for Allison to sigh, her shoulders relaxing.

“There's this patient-” she shook her head.

Lydia felt her stomach drop.

“She's been a patient for so long and we were optimistic but she's getting worse.”

“Allison, I'm sorry.”

Allison shook her head. “It's okay, these things happen.”

“That doesn't meant you can't be upset about it.” Lydia replied.

She gets the feeling that Allison doesn't talk about this part of the job to anyone other than Derek, and she bets that's only because he's there to experience it too.

Allison glanced away.

“And you can talk to me about it if you want to.” Lydia hesitated for a moment before adding, “i want you to trust me.”

Allison's head shot up. “I do trust you, Lyds. I just don't usually talk about this stuff.”

“Except with Derek.”

“And occasionally Melissa. She wouldn't let me keep working there if I didn't check in from time to time.” Allison pushed off from the counter and gently reached into Lydia's pocket to take her hand. “And you, I'll tell you.”

“I just want you to feel like you can talk to me about the things that bother you. I feel like i can tell you anything, Alli. I want you to feel the same.”  
  
“I do feel the same.” Allison replied, there was a slight hitch in her tone, it was something Lydia hadn’t heard since the morning they had confessed their feelings. “Please don’t doubt that.”  
  
Lydia slid her free arm around Allison’s waist to pull her into a loose hug. “I don’t.”  
  
Allison sighed into Lydia’s hair. “I’m used to holding back a lot of stuff.”  
  
“I know.” Lydia replied. “I understand why. But you’re not bothering me by talking about the things that upset you.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Allison asked. “Truly amazing.”  
  
“You’re going to make me blush.” Lydia mumbled into her shoulder.  
  
“Good, you’re beautiful when you blush. Well, extra beautiful.”  
  
Lydia groaned. “You’re killing me.”  
  
Allison laughed and kissed the top of Lydia’s head before pulling away, she was smiling again. Who needs the sun outside when she has her own right in front of her?  
  
“The cocoa is going to get cold.” Lydia said.

Allison laughed again and pulled away. “Okay.” She turned to grab the mugs. “Come on, i’ll find you a dry hoody too.”  
  
  


Lydia was forever thankful that Allison had a love of baggy sweaters, she's even more thankful that they all smell like Allison.

Allison looked nothing short of adorable in a bright blue sweater scattered in black hearts and curled up on her side, her phone playing music quietly beside them.

Lydia sat opposite her, sketchbook propped open on her lap as she filled a page with flowers. She'd been drawing them a lot more recently- there had been a time growing up when she had been interested in botany, hell, she still had the books from that phase.

Lydia shifted, rubbing her back and letting out a low groan.

“Are you okay?” Allison asked.

“Yeah, backaches I guess.”

Allison's hand curled around Lydia's shoulder. “Turn around and lie back.”

“Allison, what-”

“It'll be more comfortable, trust me.”

Lydia let Allison ease her back until she was lying back with her head pillowed against Allison's stomach.

“Better?” Allison asked.

“Cosy.” Lydia agreed. “I could probably fall asleep like this.”

She felt Allison move and slide a pillow under her own head and let out a hum. She reached up to push her fingers into Lydia's hair and the gesture was so comforting she knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake if this kept up.

“I like the flowers.”

“Yeah?”

Allison hummed and Lydia had to twist her head to really see the her, but Allison's smile was worth it. Sleepy and soft and honest. If Lydia wasn't starting to feel sleepy herself, she'd want to draw it, take a picture, anything to keep this moment between them.

“You like flowers?” Lydia asked.

“I love them.” Allison replied.

Lydia was suddenly thankful about how much flower print clothing she has.

“Flowers and stars, huh?” Lydia smiled.

“What can I say, I'm eclectic.” Allison said. “Have I mentioned how amazing that book you brought me is?”

She had, though it had mostly been Allison excitedly sending her a stream of texts at two in the morning, the context of said texts consisting solely of exclamation marks and star emojis.

“I'm glad you like it.” Lydia replied. “Can I hear some of it?”

Allison hesitated for a moment. “You want me to read to you?”

“I mean, if you want to.”

Allison's hand moved down to Lydia's shoulder and pushed her forward for a moment so she could reach to the side to grab her book from the bedside table.

“Does this mean I can get you to read to me in the future?” Allison asked.

“Maybe.” Lydia said. “Or maybe I could give you this?” She traced over the page of flowers. “When it's finished.”

“Deal.” Allison laughed. Her hand found its way back into Lydia's hair once she had gotten comfortable again, book propped open. “Okay, ready?”

Lydia closed her eyes. “Ready.”

Allison cleared her throat. “Even if we were seeing the stars for the first time tonight, we should notice that they are something more than a mere random collection of points of light…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe there's only five chapters left? Holy shit  
> Next chapter will be Tuesday, have a safe day! I hope you're all doing well!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! How are we all!?  
> Heads up for some lowkey angst ahead?

 

“I can’t believe how fast this summer has gone!” Erica whined, throwing her head back for good measure.

Cora rolled her eyes fondly and shared a quick look with Lydia before focusing back on Erica. “You’ve been saying that for weeks.”  
  
“But it’s true.” Erica replied. “It feels like it’s flown by and we haven’t done anything!”   
  
“What, did i dream the entire camping trip?” Lydia spoke up.   
  
Cora grinned and Lydia instantly regretted saying anything.   
  
“I don’t know… Making out with your crush during the sunrise? That’s pretty dreamlike.”   
  
Lydia tried to glare as much as she could before she felt her blush get too intense and promptly dropped her head to look at the floor, truthfully she’d be lying if she didn’t dream about that first kiss often….     
  
But she wouldn’t call it making out.   
  
“Anyway,” Lydia continued after a few moments, lifting her head to meet Erica and Cora’s gaze again. “Doesn’t this count?” She gestured at the mall around them.

“I mean yeah.” Erica agreed. They all slowed as she glanced at a store in the distance, lips pursed thoughtfully as she assessed the bags in their hands. “But i mean group hangouts that go beyond hanging out in someone's living room or playing in the backyard.”  
  
“So what do you suggest?” Cora asked.   
  
“I don’t know, bowling? Beacon Hills is limited and we’re too poor to go to the beach or LA.” Erica shrugged.   
  
“We can always plan for next year, figure out proper trip, like rent a beach house or something?” Lydia said.   
  
Erica laughed. “Oh Allison is definitely rubbing off on you.” Her eyes waggled at the innuendo.   
  
“It’s a good idea.” Cora said.   
  
“It is. You know what else is a good idea?” Erica asked.   
  
Cora sighed. “Going into that store and buying that dress you saw last week?”   
  
Erica nodded. “And then figuring out where the rest of the dorks are so we can make them go bowling tonight or something.”   
  
Lydia shook her head and smiled, pulling out her phone. “I need to go pick up a new sketch book, i’ll meet you inside in five?”   
  
Cora shot her finger guns as Erica dragged her into the store. “Don’t get lost!”   
  


“Have fun?” Boyd asked as they stepped into Stiles’ living room, he eyed the bags in Erica and Cora’s hands carefully.   
  
“Many outfits were brought this fine day.” Cora said. “How’re things here?”   
  
Lydia gave the room a quick scan, Kira, Danny, Scott and Derek were crushed together on the sofa watching a movie while Malia was happily stretched out on the floor with Isaac.   
  
“Allison’s asleep.” Stiles said, stepping out of the kitchen with a bowl of chips. “She crashed here last night.”   
  
“If you think sitting on that bed with two other people is tough, try sleeping in it with two people.” Malia murmured.   
  
“We manage pretty well.” Erica winked at Cora and Boyd.   
  
“Stiles’ bed is a single.” Malia said. “ _One_ person struggles in it. It's a good thing we love Allison.”   
  
Lydia set her bags down beside Erica’s, she had wondered why she hadn't heard from Allison this morning.   
  
“You can go up to her if you want.” Stiles continued, shoving a mouthful of chips in his mouth much to the apparent horror of Kira. “It’s nearly lunch time.”   
  
“Oh god what are we doing for lunch?” Scott asked.   
  
“No idea buddy.” Stiles shrugged. “We’ll figure it out soon.” He said as if they all didn’t know that they were going to end up at the diner.   
  
Lydia smiled to herself as she crossed the room to make her way to the stairs, it was nice, feeling close enough to a group of people that they trusted her to move around their homes freely. 

Surely enough, Allison was fast asleep in Stiles’ bed, face buried into the pillows and the blanket half kicked to the floor.

Allison's car wasn’t outside, so Lydia could only assume she came to Stiles’ house already dressed in her pyjamas.

Or more logically, packed a bag.

Either way, Lydia was thankful. Allison dressed in a pair of boxers and a tank top was never something to regret because holy _shit_ those legs.

Lydia shook away any of those thoughts before they could form and knelt down at the side of Stiles’ bed, putting her hand softly on Allison's shoulder and giving a slight shake.

“Hey Alli,” Lydia murmured. “Wake up.”

Allison groaned quietly into the pillow and Lydia heard her draw in a sharp breath before lifting her head and blinking blearily at her. Lydia smiled and helped her brush the hair from her face so Allison could see clearly, silently pleased with the way Allison pressed into her touch.

“Lyds?” Allison said, she cleared her throat and sat up slightly. “What are you doing here?”

Lydia smiled and slowly pulled her hand away from Allison's hair. “Me, Erica and Cora just got back from shopping. Everyone is downstairs.”

“What time is it?”

“Nearly twelve, are you okay?”

Allison blinked a few times and nodded. “I couldn't sleep last night.” She admitted. “I saw that Stiles and Malia were marathoning the Nightmare on Elm Street movies so I called them and they invited me over.”

Lydia moved her hand to cover Allison's own and squeezed it gently until Allison met her gaze again.

“You know you can call me if you can't sleep, right?” She asked.

Allison smiled and Lydia felt her thumb swipe over her own. “I know little bird, it's okay. Are you okay? How was shopping?”

Lydia pushed herself up and Allison immediately made space so she could sit beside her.

“I'm good, shopping was fun. I brought another sketchbook and a blouse.”

Allison smiled. “Yeah? Can I see?”

“Sure.”

“Awesome.” Allison nodded to herself, squeezing Lydia's hand again before getting to her feet and stretching, Lydia couldn't stop staring at the movement of her shoulder blades under the thin material of her tank top.

Sometimes Lydia dreamed that Allison was a sculpture brought to life, some type of goddess walking on Earth. No human should move like that, so precise and effortless all at once.  
  
Lydia continued to stare at Allison’s back. She knew what she’d be drawing later.

“I better get changed.” Allison continued, more to herself than to Lydia. “Oh,” she span around. “Good morning.”

Lydia smiled. “Good morning.”

“May I have a kiss?”

“Absolutely.”

Allison grinned and leaned down, fingers brushing against her jaw as she delicately held Lydia's face, tilting her head to the side to press their lips together.

Lydia let her fingers get tangled in Allison's hair and smiled into the kiss, it didn't even bother her that Allison had a faint trace of morning breath and the lingering taste of cigarettes.

“Okay.” Allison said as she pulled away. She kissed the tip of Lydia's nose and then her forehead, pulling away completely as Lydia laughed. “I'm gonna get changed and hope Stiles still keeps a spare toothbrush under the sink.”

“I'll be downstairs.” Lydia replied.

Allison smiled at her and disappeared out of the room and Lydia listened to the sounds of footsteps until she heard the bathroom door shut. As soon as she heard that sound she let out a groan and dropped back against the bed, reaching up to touch her fingers to her lips.

She had no words for the effect Allison had on her.  
  


“So we haven't even finished this summer yet but you want to start planning for next year?” Stiles asked.

They were at the diner, it was loud and cramped but it was still Lydia's favourite place, wedged between Allison and Danny, Allison at her usual seat by the window with her arm thrown over Lydia's shoulders.

Even with Kira and Scott opposite her cooing at them whenever she leaned into Allison's side was nice.

“It makes sense.” Danny said. “This year is a big enough adjustment with Derek leaving for college, next year we’ll all be scattering to the wind, may as well plan a big hoorah.”

“I agree.” Allison added. “Next summer at a beach house? Sign me up.”

“It'll be fun!” Kira grinned.

“It's definitely something to look forward to.” Boyd agreed.

“So it's settled?” Danny asked. “Next summer beach house vacation?” He grinned after there was a chorus of agreement. “Good thinking with this, Lydia.” He said.

Lydia ducked her head to hide her smile.

“Yeah Lyds,” she felt Allison's forehead bump against the side of her head. “I'm proud of you.”

Lydia honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone said that to her. It's kind of an incredible feeling.

Lydia closed her eyes and pressed closer to Allison. “Thank you.” She whispered.

She could feel Allison smile.

“So that's next year planned.” Isaac said. “What are we doing today?”

“Erica wants to go bowling.” Cora said.

“Bowling.” Derek repeated.

“Bowling.” Erica nodded, shit eating grin firmly in place.

Derek turned his head to meet Allison's gaze head on. “I'm terrible at bowling.”

“They have an arcade.” Allison shrugged. “I'm sure you'll be okay.”

“So… We eat, go bowling at some point, anything else?” Stiles asked, he made a sound of happiness and when Lydia followed his line of sight spotted the waitress coming with their food.

“Today? No. But we should play lacrosse at some point.” Scott said. “We’re out of practice and Allison needs to get with the program if she wants to make the team.” He added, winking in Allison's direction.

Allison laughed happily. “I'm all for this.”

The conversation was halted by their food being set on their table, it was the first time that Allison's arm had left Lydia's shoulder since they arrived and Lydia watched her grin as her burger and plate of extra fries was set down.

Allison pushed her extra fries closer to Lydia's own plate and tapped her elbow. “Help yourself.”

How can Lydia be endeared by such a simple gesture as sharing food? She doesn't know and yet here she was, getting emotional over her girlfriend and a plate of fucking fries.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked.

Allison turned to her, eyes wide with a fry hanging from her mouth, she nodded and Lydia reached around to cup Allison's jaw and leaned in to press her lips to Allison's cheek, taking a moment to let her nose nuzzle against Allison's temple.

“Is everything okay?” Allison asked quietly.

“Absolutely.” Lydia replied, kissing her cheek again. “I just… Thank you.”

Lydia didn't mean for the fries and the flicker in Allison's eyes and small smile was enough for Lydia to know that she understood.

“So…” Scott spoke up after a moment. “ _How_ do you bowl?”

“I blame you for this.” Stiles said, pointing at Erica.  
  


“I still blame you.” Stiles said.

“How is it my fault you got your fingers stuck?” Erica asked.

“That's what she said.” Kira muttered into Lydia's ear.

Lydia tried to hide her laugh in her hand, thankful because it came out more like an ungraceful snort.

“It isn't.” Malia said, they rolled their eyes at Stiles. “He's being dumb.”

Lydia lowered her hand and glanced around at the group and catching Allison openly staring at her.

“What?” Lydia asked.

“Argent, you're up!” Cora called.

Allison glanced in Cora's direction and back at Lydia, getting up from her seat and moving into Lydia's space, leaning over so that her hair fell in a curtain around them.

“Your laugh is beautiful.” She said quietly against Lydia's ear.

Allison moved away and was picking up her ball and moving towards the lane when Lydia realised what she had said and felt herself turn red.

“I feel like your team has a strong advantage.” Derek said. “You and Allison are too good and Erica may as well be a pro.”

“Well we couldn't split Allison and Lydia up, we’re not monsters.” Erica rolled her eyes.

To be honest Lydia had to agree with Derek, even with Boyd and Isaac on his team, they were losing so badly that at this point they really didn't have a chance.

Still, it was fun. Lydia hadn't been bowling for so long and the last time involved her toning her own skills down to keep her boyfriend happy, anything to stroke his ego.

Lydia watched Allison throw her ball, jumping excitedly as she got a strike, she looked so proud of herself that Lydia couldn’t help but grin too.

“You’re up Der.” Allison said, slapping Derek’s knee as she moved past him.

Derek rolled his eyes but his smile was warm as he stood up, ruffling Allison’s hair as he moved around her.   
  
“I’m feeling nachos, anybody else want nachos? I’m gonna get nachos.” Allison said.   
  
“I’m always down for nachos.” Stiles replied. “I’ll help.”

“You want anything Lyds?” Allison asked.   
  
“I’m good, thanks.”

Allison smiled at her and began to follow Stiles, Lydia turned her attention back to Derek in time to see him roll another gutter ball. Poor guy, bowling just wasn’t his forte. Lydia glanced around the rest of the group, Cora and Boyd were making out while Erica took a selfie in front of them. Everybody else seemed to be watching the scene with interest and amusement.

“What are we all doing after this?” Scott frowned. “Are we all just going home or what?”

“I probably should.” Lydia sighed. “I might not see her much but I’m pretty sure my mom wouldn’t be thrilled if i spent all of my time elsewhere.”  
  
“I feel that.” Erica said. “I feel like most of the summer has just consisted of us sleeping in various different homes.”   
  
“That’s what makes it so fun.” Kira laughed. “Summer of sleepovers.”   
  
Lydia had to agree, it was going to be really weird to get used to spending most of the time in her own home when school picked up, though something told her that crashing on Danny or Cora’s living room floor wouldn’t just suddenly stop, and there was Allison, obviously.

“Remember that one anime that had like ten episodes dedicated to a groundhog style scenario where the group were repeating the last day of summer?” Cora asked.  
  
“I can’t believe that was an actual sentence that came out of a mouth i kiss.” Erica groaned. “You nerd, i’m destroying your anime collection.”   
  
“You wouldn’t dare.”   
  
“Try me, Hale.”   
  
“A groundhog day scenario doesn’t sound fun.” Isaac said, drawing everyone’s attention away from the make-out session going on beside them.   
  
“Agreed. Good movie though.” Scott added.   
  
“If Allison wasn’t getting nachos, this would be the part where she makes a comment about cherishing every moment and the memories they give us.” Boyd laughed.   
  
“Ugh, that nerd. I love her.” Erica said.

“Who’s a nerd?” Stiles asked, carrying what Lydia can only call an obscene amount of drinks and snacks, beside him, Allison’s collection of food looked tame.  
  
“Allison.” Half of the group replied immediately.   
  
“Well, you aren’t wrong.” Allison shrugged, setting her food down and looking up at the scoreboard. “Whose turn is it?”  
  
Danny dropped down beside Scott. “It’s Lydia’s turn.”   
  
“Knock em dead, babe.” Allison cheered.   
  
_Babe._

Lydia was thankful that she wasn’t actually holding a bowling ball at that moment because she knew that she would have dropped it. She couldn’t recall a moment where Allison had called her that before and holy _shit_ it was so nice to hear. It was the kind of feeling that left her chest feeling warm inside.

Lydia picked up her ball and made her way towards the lane, they had such a comfortable lead that she could probably only roll gutter balls for the rest of the match and they’d still end up winning but she had no intention of letting that happen on accident, let alone alone.   
  
She was completely unprepared for a pair of arms to wrap around her stomach and immediately being greeted by the smell of lavender and sandalwood that she could only ever associate with Allison.   
  
“You okay?” She asked.   
  
Lydia smiled and leaned back into the embrace. “Yeah, you?”

She received a hum in response and felt Allison hug her a little tighter. “I wanted to wish you luck, well, i wanted to hug you too, so i figured both would work.”  
  
“Good call.” Lydia replied, turning to face Allison when she pulled away. “I’m always a fan of your hugs.”   
  
“Oh good! I’ve been learning from the best.”   
  
“And here i was thinking you were the best hugger.” Lydia said. She noticed that Allison was focusing on her lips. “Is it too loud?” With the sounds of pins falling every few seconds and the music on top of that, Lydia could definitely understand that it could be too much.   
  
Allison shrugged. “It’s okay as long as i’m looking at whoever is talking.”

“You sure?”  
  
Allison smiled. “I’m sure little bird, i should probably get back before Erica calls us out for being too cute or something.”   
  
That did sound like Erica, to be honest.   
  
“Can i have a kiss for luck?” Lydia asked, smiling at Allison’s laugh.   
  
“Absolutely.” Allison leaned in to kiss Lydia briefly. “Good luck.”   
  
Even with the phantom feeling of Allison’s lips against hers, Lydia still managed to roll a strike.   
  


After promises of hanging out at some point the next day, Lydia found herself in the passenger of Allison’s car, one of Allison’s space themed mixes playing quietly in the background. Lydia didn’t expect to feel tired, but with the warmth of the car, the music and the feeling of Allison’s finger tracing along her wrist, Lydia knew that if she were to close her eyes, she’d fall asleep right there.

“You okay?” Allison asked quietly.  
  
“Yeah, tired. You?”   
  
“Headache.” She shrugged when Lydia looked over at her. “It’s okay, i just need some water and sleep.”

Lydia sat up and any traces of tiredness was replaced with concern. “Are you sure?”  
  
Allison nodded and smiled over at Lydia. “I’m sure.”

Lydia watched Allison for a few seconds longer before she relaxed back into her seat. Allison hummed along to her music and they fell into silence again.

“How do you feel about making out?” Lydia asked. She felt surprised at her own words so she couldn't blame Allison's brief look of confusion before it morphed into a smirk.

“I hear it's pretty good.” Allison replied, she glanced at Lydia, her expression growing serious. “Why? Wanna make out?”

At this point, making out with Allison has been in a feature in so many of her dreams Lydia has lost count, part of her still can't believe she just asked so forwardly.

She blamed Cora and tiredness.

“Only if you do.” Lydia admitted, staring out of the front window and God, would she ever stop blushing when talking to Allison about this stuff? “I don't want you to do something you don't want to.”

Allison pulling the car into the side of the road was yet another event Lydia wasn't expecting and she couldn't ignore the way her heart began to race when Allison unclipped her seat belt and turned to face her.

“I want to.” Allison declared and her voice was so earnest that Lydia felt herself melt a little. Allison reached forward to brush some hair behind Lydia's ear and let her palm rest flat against Lydia's cheek. “Do you want to?”

Lydia managed to nod, a quiet “yeah.” Leaving her lips a moment later.

Allison's eyes flickered down to Lydia's lips and back up to her eyes. Allison leaned in close, her nose briefly brushing against Lydia's…

It's the build up she loved, well, Lydia loved the whole kiss but there's just something about the moments leading up to their lips pressing together that left Lydia breathless. The brush of their noses and the smell of their lipgloss and the almost kiss right before one of them finally closed that small bit of distance.

Allison's tongue only briefly brushed across Lydia's bottom lip before Lydia was opening her mouth for her.

Every kiss felt slow and deliberate, both of them taking their time as to figure out an equal ground of what they both like.

“Wait, wait.” Lydia broke away.

“Is everything okay?” Allison asked and Lydia kind of loved the way her voice came out hoarse, even if her eyes were full of concern.

“It's fine, I just-” Lydia unclipped her own seat belt, thankful for the freedom. “It was digging into my neck.”

Allison let out a relieved laugh. “Oh thank god, I thought I'd done something wrong.”

Lydia leaned in close again, Allison's smile only grew. “Believe me, there was nothing wrong about _that._ ”

Allison laughed again, brighter and bumped her forehead against Lydia's. “So you're up for doing it again?”

“Absolutely.”

Lydia knew for a fact that they'd both lost track of time, it was just too easy to get lost in the feeling of trading kisses and soft touches to each others cheeks, jaws, getting fingers tangled in hair.

She also knew at some point she’d moved onto Allison's lap, which was a little awkward and uncomfortable with the steering wheel pressed into her back but holy shit it felt good.

Until there was a knock on the window that startled them both so much that as they broke their kiss they managed to headbutt each other.

Allison turned her head towards the window and hit the button to roll it down, Lydia rubbed her forehead and turned her head, feeling her entire body heat up from embarrassment as she locked eyes with Chris, who was staring back with an expression of pure exasperation as he clicked off his flashlight.

“Dad!” Allison cleared her throat. “Hey. How are you?”

She sounded so calm, Lydia couldn't even make eye contact. She couldn't decide whether to move off of Allison or if that would make things awkward so she should just stay put.

A reassuring feature was Allison's thumb stroking along her knee which while it was comforting it was also really _really_ distracting.

“When I'm on my patrol in the middle of the night and I see my daughters car pulled over in the middle of an empty road, I tend to be concerned.” Chris replied. He didn't sound mad, which was encouraging.

“I was just driving Lydia home, sorry, we got distracted.”

“I can see that.” Chris said, he shot a look at Lydia and Lydia immediately dropped her head in embarrassment. “But if you two want to make out, you can do it at home. It's not safe to be parked out here at this time, you could be hit.”

Okay, so he's not mad that Lydia is basically straddling his daughter or that he caught them making out, he's just worried about their safety over where this happened.

“I'm sorry.” Lydia said.

“Yeah, sorry.” Allison added, though she sounded anything but.

Chris reached through the car and squeezed Allison's shoulder. “Text me when you get home.” He looked at Lydia. “Have a good night, I'll see you soon.”

Lydia nodded. “You too.”

Allison rolled up her window as her dad walked away and stared up at Lydia. “So that happened.”

“He's so… Relaxed about us.” Lydia said.

“Well yeah,” Allison relaxed in her seat and let both of her hands rest on Lydia's knees. “I mean for a start its you, he's known you for years. Also because it's not like he's gonna walk in on us having sex any time soon.” Her face twisted into a frown. “Ideally he’ll never walk in on us having sex… Good god I phrased that sentence wrong.”

Lydia smiled and stroked a hand through Allison's hair.

“My point is… If and when we reach that point, he trusts that we’ll be ready? You know what I mean?”

“I do.” Lydia nodded.

“Perk of having a demisexual kid I guess.”

“Demi or not.” Lydia wrapped her arms around Allison's neck and let her chin rest on Allison's head, it feels odd to be the taller one in this scenario, but she's going to make the most out of it. “It's the perk of having an incredible daughter. You're incredible.”

Allison laughed quietly against Lydia's collarbone. “ _You're_ incredible.” She pulled back. “And I should probably get you home.”

Lydia made a sound of agreement, even if she wasn't entirely ready to leave Allison's lap. She moved reluctantly and awkwardly, trying not to hit the gearshift as she settled back into her own seat.

“But hey, making out. That was… Wow.” Allison said.

Lydia snorted quietly. “Wow indeed.”

Allison's smile was fond as she kissed the back of Lydia's hand. “Come on little bird, let's get you home.”

 

* * *

 

“You've filled up so many of these.” Kira said, a hint of awe in her voice as she brushed a hand over the stack of sketchbooks on Lydia's desk.

Lydia ducked her head and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah… I just got pretty inspired I guess?”

Kira nodded in understanding, it briefly occurred to Lydia that she was the first person other than Allison to actually be in her room.

“Can I see?” Kira asked.

Lydia hesitated for a moment, other than the occasional napkin sketch or page of flowers she hadn't actually shared them with anyone.

Also she was very aware there were a solid chunk of drawings of Allison and some of the group. But this was Kira, Kira took photos of them all, it was no different than Lydia drawing them in their quiet moments.

Besides, this could work well in her favour.

“I actually wanted to give Allison some drawings?” Lydia said, approaching her desk and coming to stand beside Kira. "I just don't know which ones."

Kira beamed. “Allison would _love_ that!” As Lydia handed her some of the books and Kira made her way to sit on the edge of the bed. “You should come over or I can bring my laptop over and you can see some of the pictures I take.”

Lydia sat down at her desk and smiled. “I'd like that.”

Kira flicked through the pages slowly. “Oh my god Lydia, these are amazing.”

Lydia ducked her head. “Thank you.”

“Where is Allison today?” Kira asked, smiling down at the first of many drawings of Allison. “Oh my god you got her smile perfectly.”

Lydia would argue that she could never get that smile perfect (how can you replicate perfection?) but she appreciates the compliment nonetheless.

“She's with Derek, she's helping him pack.”

Kira almost winced. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“It's rough for them both.” Kira said. “It's hard when your best friend is leaving.”

Lydia swallowed and glanced away. She could sure as shit agree with that, if anything it just reminded that she already put Allison through that once and that this time next year, they'll all be going through it again when they all leave for college.

“It's probably harder for Derek though.” Kira continued. “Like yeah, he's Allison's best friend, but she has the rest of us and she has you. Derek is only going to have his sister Laura up there with him.”

“We’ll Skype with him a lot though right?” Lydia asked.

“Oh no doubt.” Kira agreed. She turned a page and gasped. “Holy crap that's me! Oh my god that's amazing!”

“You can keep it, if you want?” Lydia replied, there was a tiny part of her that was unsure that Kira meant it, that she was only saying it to be polite.

But this was _Kira._ She wouldn't say something unless she meant it.

Lydia barely had time to finish processing her thoughts before Kira was tackling her into a hug. “Oh my god thank you!”

It took a moment for Lydia to relax into it and bring an arm up to wrap around Kira's shoulder.

Kira pulled back, eyes bright and excited. “I just had an idea.”

“...Okay?” Lydia replied apprehensively.

“Leave it with me.” Kira waved a dismissive hand. “Wanna carry on looking for things to give Allison first?”

Lydia felt more than a little confused but she nodded regardless.   
  


“Oh good, thank god you're here.” Cora groaned loudly, swinging open the door and dragging Lydia and Kira inside before either of them could ask any questions.

“Hi to you too.” Lydia frowned. “What's wrong?”

“I mean nothing really.” Cora shrugged. Kira and Lydia shared a frown as they followed her into the living room.

“Allison and Derek are upstairs.” Erica said. “We know Allison has cried and we’re pretty sure Derek cried too.”

“And none of you wanted to offer support?”

“I did!” Cora replied.

“Asking ‘can I have your room’ isn't support Cora.” Boyd sighed. He tilted his head to look at Lydia. “We figured it'd be best to call you and invite everyone over to watch a movie and probably order pizza.”

“That is a good idea.” Kira agreed, she nudged Lydia gently. “It's a bummer we didn't bring those drawings.” She added quietly.

Lydia hummed. She didn't know Derek well enough to know what to do when he was upset, but she knew Allison had a tendency to internalise it all or try and distance herself, so the others were right by getting everyone together, even if Allison didn't take up the offer, it's good that it's there.

“So do we just leave them or…” Lydia trailed off as Cora walked past her to the bottom of the stairs.

“Derek, Allison!” She yelled. “Lydia and Kira are here!”

There was a loud thud and immediately, Erica sighed.

“Five dollars say that Allison just fell.”

Cora pointed at Erica. “I'll take that action.”

“I'm sure you will.” Erica winked.

Allison appeared at the top of the stairs. “Lyds! H-hey.”

It was hard to make out, but Lydia could tell from her voice that Allison has definitely been crying.

“Hey.”

“Um…” Allison's leaned out of view for a movement before coming back into view. “You can come up if you want.”

“Are you sure?” Lydia asked.

“Yeah, Derek's cool with it.”

For the first time since she's known her, Cora actually made an expression of genuine surprise.

“That means he really likes you.” She mock whispered. “Yo Allison!” Cora yelled again. “Everyone else is coming over soon to watch a movie, do you guys want to order pizza?”

“I'll ask Derek.” Allison replied.

Lydia turned to Kira. “I'll see you all in a little while.”

“Lydia, tell us what Derek's room looks like when you come back, Scott is the only person other than Allison to be in it in the past three years. We need answers.” Erica said.

Lydia rolled her eyes and made her way up the stairs to where Allison was waiting for her, up close it was even more obvious that she had been crying recently, her eyes were still red and there was just a perpetual feeling of sadness around her.

“Hey.” Lydia greeted softly, taking one of Allison's hands in her own. “You okay?”

Allison nodded, tugging Lydia closer and Lydia took the hint, wrapping her arms around Allison and hugging her close.

“It kinda hit me today that he's leaving.”

Lydia hugged her tighter. “Do you want a kiss?”

Allison shook her head. “Can we stay like this for a few more moments?”

“Sure Alli, whatever you want.”

Lydia brought a hand up to rub at the back of Allison's neck, causing Allison to let out another sigh and press her forehead into Lydia's shoulder.

“Okay.” Allison mumbled, pulling away and smiling at Lydia before brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “I'm glad you're here.”

“Really?” Lydia asked. “Cause if I'm interfering with you and Derek I can go-”

“I don't want to make it seem like I've been listening in…” Derek's said, both Lydia and Allison looked towards the closed door that was the source of the sound. “But you're not interfering.”

“See?” Allison smiled. “The talking door is right. You're not interfering.”

Lydia laughed and ducked her head and let Allison lead her into the room.

Derek was stood by his closet, surrounded by open boxes and holding a sweater in his hand.

“Cute sweater.” Lydia said.

“See? I told you.” Allison replied, sitting down on Derek's bed and pulling a pillow into her lap. "Put it in the box."

Lydia looked around the room, feeling admittedly underwhelmed. Honestly she wasn't sure what she expected, the walls were plain and shelves were stacked with CD’s, there were some basketball themed trophies and a letterman jacket hanging over the back of a chair.

“Cora said the others are coming over to watch a movie and wanted to know if we wanted to order pizza.” Allison said. “I think she was implying we could have first pick.”

“How sweet of her.” Derek said. He dropped the sweater into the box. “I feel like I'm packing too much stuff.”

“We haven't made much progress.” Allison said, patting the space beside her and resting her head on Lydia's shoulder as she sat down beside her.

“Everything feels like a memory.” Derek added, walking over and joining them on the bed. “I’d ask Cora but I'm pretty sure she'd just throw everything out and move her stuff in.”

Allison snorted. “That's exactly what she'd do.”

“It looks like you've made some progress though.” Lydia pointed out. “It's a big thing to adjust to.”

Allison nodded to herself. “There's no rush, right?”

“Right.” Lydia squeezed Allison's hand.

“I could always get Laura to help if I'm not packed by the barbecue.” Derek added. He leaned forward so that Lydia could see him. “Speaking of, mom needs to know if you have any allergies.”

“She doesn't.” Allison replied.

“What Allison said.” Lydia muttered.

The three of them lapsed into silence, Lydia tried to make out the labels on the various CD’s Derek owned (she quickly realised that they were made by Allison) while she held Allison's hand and let the girl rest her head on her shoulder, Allison was holding Lydia and Derek's hand while stroking her thumb along Lydia's knuckles.

It was a nice moment, peculiar, but nice.

“I could go for some pizza.” Derek said eventually.

Allison hummed. “Same. Lyds?”

“Sure.”

“Do you think that we can get to choose the movie?” Allison asked.

“If we play our cards right.” Derek said, his expression was thoughtful. “Maybe pout and do the puppy dog eyes.”

Lydia turned to press her forehead to Allison's head. “Your puppy dog eyes could get you anything.”

“Were they what made you like me?” Allison asked quietly.

Lydia thought back to the girl she met all those years ago, how even though they're ten years older and so much has happened, Allison's eyes have never lost that warmth.

“One of so many things.” Lydia replied. “As much as I love your eyes they're only one part of what makes you you.”

She felt Allison smile, she dropped the hand holding her own and wound it around Lydia's waist.

“Same for you.”

“This is nice.” Derek spoke up after a moment and Lydia had to admit for a second there she forgot he was on the other side of Allison.

Allison patted Derek's leg consolingly. “You have pretty eyes too.”

“You do.” Lydia agreed.

Derek smiled and shook his head. “Come on you too, let's go join the others.”

“You're the boss.” Allison said.

As they all stood up and made their way into the hallway, before Lydia could follow Derek down the stairs, Allison gave a slight tug on her hand.

Lydia turned to face her, taking in Allison's somewhat shy expression and while Lydia loved the puppy dog eyes they definitely weren't necessary. The sunlight streaming in through the window hit her face and Lydia was always blown away by how it made Allison's eyes look golden.

Lydia might be taking the sun metaphor too far in regards to Allison. She just couldn't help it.

“Is that kiss still on the table?” Allison asked.

Lydia took Allison's other hand and stepped closer.

“Absolutely.” Lydia replied, smiling and leaning up as Allison grinned and brushed their lips together.

Allison was just in the process of tugging Lydia's top lip gently between her teeth- which first of all, wow- when Cora yelled up the stairs.

“Get down here you heathens!”

Allison broke the kiss. “Bite me Hale!”

“Don't make promises you can't keep!” Cora yelled back.

Allison rolled her eyes and kissed Lydia's cheek. “Pizza and movie with the gang?”

“Sounds perfect.”

They joined the rest of the group downstairs, Lydia waved at Scott and Isaac.

“You have no shame.” Cora sighed.

“We kissed once!” Allison protested.

A really good kiss, Lydia wanted to point out.

“Heathen.” Cora said again.

“Someone learned a new word today.” Isaac laughed.

Cora glared at them and after a moment leaned into Boyd’s space. “Was it that obvious?” She asked quietly.

“Little bit, yeah.”

“Fuck.”

Boyd pat her knee as he glanced around the group. “So, movie and pizza?”

“Can me and Derek choose the movie?” Allison asked, Lydia spared her a quick look and heard Derek try to conceal a laugh, she had the puppy dog eyes dialled up to eleven.

Erica groaned. “Dirty move Argent.”

“That's a yes.” Scott replied.

Allison high fived Derek on her way past him towards the sofa. Lydia spent a moment trying to figure out the best place for her to sit, until Allison held out a hand and Lydia realised it was an invitation and let herself be pulled onto her lap.

It still felt new, being on Allison's lap.

But also really comforting and nice. She liked that it was becoming a more frequent thing between them and judging by the way Allison was nuzzling into her hair, it was a fair assumption that she felt the same way.

Cora raised an eyebrow at them from her seat beside them, Lydia shifted carefully so that she was sat almost sideways in Allison's lap with her back to the arm of the sofa.

“You two get even more sickening every day.” Cora said.

“Shut up we’re cute.” Allison mumbled.

Lydia leaned sideways to tuck her head under Allison's chin.

“Now I think you're just doing this on purpose.” Cora continued.

Allison grinned. “What makes you think that?”

Boyd clapped his hands together. “Movie!”

“Jurassic park please.” Allison mumbled. “With the subtitles on too.”

“Is that on Netflix?” Scott asked, frowning at Kira.

“Recently added.” Derek replied, already setting up his Netflix. “Someone call Malia, Danny and Stiles.”

“On it.” Scott said, pulling out his phone.  
  


* * *

 

Lydia frowned at her phone and set it down next to her cup of coffee as she carried on eating her breakfast.

Allison hadn’t texted her, Lydia didn't expect Allison to text her constantly and Allison didn't have the same expectations from her, but for the past day or two Allison has seemed down and Lydia was a little worried.

She didn't want to feel like she was smothering Allison, she wanted Allison to feel comfortable coming to her if and when she needed her.

Still, Lydia wanted to make sure she was okay.

_To: Allison, 10:30am  
_ _Hey x_

Lydia set her phone down and continued with her breakfast, casting glances at her phone every few seconds.

“Good morning.” Her mother greeted, walking into the kitchen and immediately grabbing a mug to fill with coffee.

“Morning.” Lydia replied after a sip from her own mug.

When her phone vibrated, she ignored her mothers look of confusion as she grabbed her phone from the table.

_From: Allison, 10:35am  
_ _Hey babe x_

“Someone important?” Her mother asked.

“It's Allison.” Lydia murmured, not looking up as she typed out a reply.

_To: Allison, 10:38am  
_ _You okay? X_

“Oh, are you two still…”

Lydia felt her eye twitch with irritation. “Dating? Yes.”

_From: Allison, 10:40am  
_ _Tired. You? X_

_To: Allison, 10:41am  
_ _I'm okay, do you want to talk about it? X_

“I didn't realise you two were serious.” Her mother said, Lydia didn't have to look up to see the frown on her face.

“She's my girlfriend, mom. I-” Lydia cut herself off, she hadn't even told Allison she loved her yet, she didn't want her mom to hear her say it before Allison. “I care about her a lot. She's more important to me than you understand.”

_From: Allison, 10:50am  
_ _I… I can't baby, i want to but i can't right now, I'm sorry x_

_To: Allison, 10:51am  
_ _Hey no, don't apologise. I'm here if you need me though okay? If you want me to bring your favourite take out and ice cream or lavender candles or skittles I'll be there in twenty okay? X_

_From: Allison, 10:55am  
_ _Thank you, you're wonderful x_

“Really?” Her mother asked.

Lydia slammed her phone down with a little more force than necessary. “Yes mom, really. Why is this so hard for you to understand?”

“Lydia-”

Lydia could practically feel something in her break, anger and irritation dominating her feelings. “I’m bisexual. I told you when I was fifteen. Allison is my girlfriend, I've had feelings for her for… I don't even know how long but I don't understand why you keep acting like this! I don't see you much but when I do it just feels like you're judging my friends, judging _Allison_ and I just… I'm tired of it.”

It's all been building up to this, Lydia knows that. She just wished that it hadn't been today.

“I… I get that you're not happy here.” Lydia continued, quieter. “And that you probably miss dad and LA and having all that money at your disposal… But I wasn't. I wasn't happy with those people, with that life. I hated the expectations that I felt i had to live up to in order to keep my friends or you and dad happy. I'm happy _here_. With friends and a girlfriend who love me for who I am, who encourage me to be the best version of myself but I can only do so much while you're here putting me down every time I stay here long enough to see you.” Lydia felt her voice crack and knew that was it, she'd reached her limit.

She grabbed her phone from the table, distantly acknowledging that she'd received a couple of texts during her outburst.

“Think about what I said.” Lydia muttered. “Really, really think.”

She managed to get halfway up the stairs before the tears started to fall and she closed the door to her room and sagged against it before she checked the messages.

_From: Allison, 11:00am  
_ _Do you want to come over?_

_From: Allison, 11:05am  
_ _You don't have to, I understand if you don't want to be around me when I'm having a bad day._

Lydia kind of wanted to cry more. She loved this girl so much and she wished she had the words or the courage to tell her.

_To: Allison, 11:10am  
_ _I might be having a bad day too, still want to see me?_

_From: Allison, 11:11am  
_ _Absolutely. X_

_From: Allison, 11:11am  
_ _Make a wish baby X_

Lydia smiled at her phone.   
  
She wished her mother would listen to her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do u ever want to fight a fictional character even though you wrote them? YEAH THAT IS ME @ LYDIA'S MOM (meet me in the pit, Natalie.)  
> Chapter 17 should be out on Thursday, hope you all stay safe and also thank you for all the comments so far i love you all dearly


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are we? Happy Thursday?   
> Heads up for Natalie being... Well, Natalie

 

“You did the right thing, Lydia. I'm proud of you.” Allison mumbled.

Lydia sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I don't feel proud.”

“I know. That's okay.”

Lydia kept staring up at the ceiling, counting the slow breaths against her shoulder. She'd been there for over half an hour, the ice cream she'd brought was in the freezer and on Allison’s desk sat a pile of drawings and paintings Lydia had grabbed in a hurry and brought over for her (Allison had reluctantly agreed not to look at them until she left)

Neither of them had moved from the bed the moment they fell back onto it.

“But I don't regret it.” Lydia continued. “I meant everything I said, even if I wish I could have said it under different circumstances and… Probably with better wording. I needed her to know that she was having a bad effect on me and… Yeah.”

“I understand.” Allison replied, rolling onto her side and draping an arm over Lydia's waist. Lydia covered her hand with her own. “It could be a good thing for your mom too. Sometimes we can't see the damage we cause unless someone points it out to us.”

Lydia sighed again and cast a quick glance over at Allison. “I get that.”

Allison sighed, grip tightening on Lydia's hip and pulling her closer. “I'm sorry I can't be more supportive today.”

“I should be the one supporting you.” Lydia said. “You're having a worse day than I am.”

Lydia rolled onto her side, careful not to hit Allison's head with her own, it made her feel a bit cross eyed to be this close to Allison, but she couldn't bring herself to move away.

She felt like she could count every one of the freckles on Allison's nose if she stayed like this long enough.

Allison smiled, dimples flashing. “Remember that story you told me, in the pool that night?”

Now  _ that  _ was a memory that felt like a dream. Lydia thought to the conversations they'd had that night.

“About the otters?” Lydia asked.

Allison rolled onto her back and laced her fingers with Lydia's. “Yeah.”

Lydia rolled too and stared up at the ceiling. “What about them?”

“We’re both having bad days, who's having the worst day isn't what's important. What's important is that we trust each other and know we have each others backs when we need it.”

“We make sure that we won't drift away.” Lydia finished.

“And that applies to all of the others too.”

“Are you saying we’re all otters holding onto each other?” Lydia asked.

“Huh…” Allison paused for a moment and laughed. “I guess I am. I like that.” Allison rolled onto her side again and let her head rest on Lydia's shoulder, nuzzling her nose against Lydia's neck. “Though I don't think anyone's daemon really lines up with an otter.”

“True.” Lydia agreed. 

“Wanna get up and eat that ice cream soon?” Allison asked. 

Lydia closed her eyes. “Sure.” She knew she had some messages to check on her phone too. "Soon."   
  


Lydia closed the door to Allison's room as quietly as she could, making her way down the hallway and into the living room, even though she never heard him come home, it wasn't surprising to see Chris in the kitchen, making dinner.

He glanced up as he heard her approaching. “Lydia, I didn't know you were here.”

“Yeah… Sorry. Me and Alli were asleep.”

He nodded slowly, he gave Lydia a long look and she could see the open concern there. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. “Have you eaten?”

“Allison's asleep.” Lydia replied.

Chris smiled. “That wasn't what I asked.”

“I- no, I haven't eaten, and truthfully things could be better? I guess?” Lydia admitted.

Chris gestured to the seat at the counter and Lydia immediately sat, Chris turned away from her and grabbed an extra plate from the cupboard.

Apparently Lydia was eating dinner now.

“I had a fight with my mother.” Lydia said, watching as Chris filled a plate with pasta. “I- I mean I wouldn't really call it a fight but yeah.”

“What was the fight about? Do you want juice with that?” He asked as he set the plate down and handed her a fork.

“Um, juice is good.” Lydia nodded, she brought herself a moment of silence by taking a bite of food and holy shit it was good. Chris was a better cook than she thought. “It's kind of a long story.”

Chris placed a glass of orange juice next to Lydia's plate and leaned sideways against the counter, his own plate balanced in one hand. “I'm listening if you want to tell me.”

Lydia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “It's been building up to this for a long time.” She began.   
  


By the time Allison shuffled out of her room, sleepy eyed and wrapped in her blanket, Lydia had finished filling Chris in on the details.

“Do you want me to come over to talk to her?” Chris asked. 

“I… Don’t think she’d appreciate that.” Lydia replied hesitantly. “Knowing other people know her business, you know?”   
  
“I do.” Chris nodded. “Vic-” He glanced at Allison, who was busy making a mug of tea. “Allison’s mother was like that.”   
  
“I just… If anything happens, i’ll tell you. But for now i think i should see how she reacts.”   
  
“If you’re sure.”   
  
“We should ask Talia if she can come to the barbecue.” Allison said. Chris and Lydia looked over to her. “I’m just saying, good atmosphere, good people… It’ll be good for her.”   
  
Lydia smiled over at Allison, pleased when she got a smile in return. Chris turned away from Lydia and she was distantly aware that he was filling a plate of food before he held it out towards Allison, who frowned at it.   
  
“I’m not-”   
  
“You need to eat, even if it’s just a little.”   
  
Allison nodded and took the plate, albeit reluctantly. She looked over at Lydia. “Are you staying the night or do you want me to drive you home?”

As much as she did really want to stay the night, Lydia knew that it may not be the best idea.

“I think I'd better go home, if I stay it'll look like I'm avoiding her, it'll make the whole thing feel like a bigger deal.” Lydia replied. 

Allison set the plate down on the counter and walked around to Lydia, loosely wrapping an arm around her waist and hugging her. “I understand, give me a minute to grab my keys okay?”

“I'll drive her home.” Chris said. “You stay and eat.”

Allison huffed quietly and turned to press her nose into Lydia's hair. “I'll call you later? Or text? I want to tell you how much I love the drawings on my desk.”

Chris walked away, probably to get his keys. Lydia twisted to look at Allison clearly. “You haven't even seen them yet.”

Allison smiled at her. “You drew things for me, I've seen some of your stuff before and I know how good you are.”

“Can I have a kiss?” Lydia asked.

She felt Allison brush her hair from her face and leaned down to meet Lydia in a kiss. 

“Lydia, are you ready?” Chris called.

Allison pulled back from the kiss and brushed her nose against Lydia's. Lydia slid off of her seat and hugged Allison again.

“I'll call you later.”

“Okay.”   
  
  
  


“If you need anything, you can call me or anyone else's parents. We'll be here as quickly as we can.”

Lydia laughed quietly. At this point she was pretty sure that the parents of her friends were just an older version of themselves. She definitely could tell where Allison got some of her protective streak from.

Maybe Allison wanted to be a cop like her dad one day, she'd certainly be good at it.

“I will, thank you.” Lydia looked out of the window at the house, her moms bedroom window was on, but Lydia was doubted she'd come out if she heard Lydia come in.

“And thank you.” Chris said. “For being supportive towards Allison.”

“We support each other.” Lydia replied. “We all do.”

Chris nodded. “I'm glad.”

“Goodnight Chris.”

“Night Lydia. Remember what we talked about.”   
  


Lydia tried not to linger outside her mother's door on her way to her room, but she wanted to see what would happen, when she received no response, Lydia carried on to her room.  


By the time Lydia finished getting ready for bed and replied to her messages (coffee with Kira in the morning, then maybe everyone meeting at the mall) Lydia glanced at her desk.

In the rush of going to Allison's this morning, she'd grabbed the pile of drawings her and Kira had picked out and left her desk in a disarray.

Lydia decided that she'd deal with it in the morning and climbed under the covers, dialling Allison's number as she did so.

_ “Hey baby.” _

Lydia smiled. “Is it a good time to talk?”

_ “Always. How's everything?” _

“Mom is in her room, didn't expect much else to be honest. How are you?”

_ “I ate, I'm in bed, i kinda feel better." _

Lydia rolled onto her side and tucked one arm under her pillow. “That's good.”

Allison hummed, if Lydia listened carefully, she was pretty sure she could hear music playing.

_ “Do you want to hear a story?” _

Lydia laughed and closed her eyes. “Absolutely.”

Allison cleared her throat.  _"There was once a Princess of a kingdom of light and a Knight who had mastered the art of dragon riding, they had been in love with each other for years, although neither were aware of the others feelings..."_  
  
  
  


“So… What are you looking for?” Kira asked.

Lydia peaked over at her from under her desk. “There was a sketch I drew a few weeks ago on a napkin, I can't find it and it's bugging me.”

Kira crouched down beside her. “What's it a sketch of? Where did you see it last?”

“On my desk, and it was of Allison.” Lydia let out a resigned sigh. “I'll find it later. We should head out.”

“Before your mom comes back?” Kira asked.

Lydia huffed a laugh. “More like before my caffeine deprivation gets worse.” 

Her mom had left just before Kira had arrived, Lydia had only noticed because she'd been stood by the window to get better lighting for the selfie she was sending to Allison.

Kira rolled her eyes and laughed. “Come on then, I think Cora is on shift this morning too.”   
  
  


“You know, when we suggested to go to the mall, I don't know what I expected.” Stiles said, frowning as they walked past the various stalls. 

“It felt like the hip teen thing to do, sue me.” Danny replied.

“You know you sound like a forty year old when you say that.” Malia spoke up, they gasped as they all passed Gamestop and took off towards it.

“So what do you want to do after we’ve dragged Malia out of there?” Scott asked.

The group was silent for a few moments. It seemed to be dawning on them that they'd reached the point of the vacation where they'd exhausted most of their ideas.

“We could take a spontaneous road trip?” Erica suggested.

Lydia shook her head. “Without Allison or Cora?”

“Good point.” Erica agreed. “No spontaneous road trip without the whole squad.”

“Never say squad again.” Derek said.

“Okay…” Danny tipped his head back and made a thoughtful sound. “Arcade, movies, diner or one of our places.”

“Oh Beacon Hills, never change.” Boyd sighed.

“But if it wants to add like, I don't know, paintball or laser tag we won't complain.” Stiles added.

“You've clearly never been shot in the testicle with a paintball gun.” Danny replied, his face twisted into a grimace. 

Scott gave Danny a pat on the shoulder. “Please never talk about your testicles again.”

“I make no promises.” Danny replied.

Lydia ducked her head and laughed, she loved these people so much. 

She pulled her phone from her purse as felt Erica sling an arm over her shoulder. 

“How is your other half today?” Erica asked.

Other half. Now that was new and definitely not unwelcome.

“She's good, we were texting this morning, i think she's asleep right now.”

“Yeah, I was texting her last night.” Erica nodded. “Hey, can we get hot dogs?” She asked the group, nodding in the direction of the food court.

“Hot dogs sound good.” Isaac agreed, they frowned in the direction of sephora's. “Lydia, is that your mom?”

Everyone followed their gaze and surely enough, Lydia saw her mother with two other people, shopping bags in tow.

Ah, retail therapy.

“Who are the people she's with?” Lydia asked. She really wasn't a fan of the silence that had taken over the rest of the group.

“The one on the left would be Matt’s mother, the other is Mrs Greenberg.” Danny replied.

Part of Lydia wanted to yell. Or groan or sigh or all of the above.

“So my mother is friends with the mother of the guy who is essentially my girlfriend's biggest enemy?” Lydia said. Erica eased her into a loose hug, which might actually be the most genuinely affectionate thing she's done to Lydia. “Fantastic.”

“You know what would help?” Erica began.

“Hot dogs?” Lydia asked.

Erica threw out her arms. “A whole _bunch_ of hot dogs.”

Lydia wished that she hadn't made eye contact with her mother as her friends led her towards the food court.

  
  


“These are all of the pictures you have of Allison and Derek?” Lydia asked.

“Some of them.” Kira replied, digging her spoon into the ice cream tub and sighing happily around it. Eventually the group had gone their separate ways and after a quick stop at Kira's house, Lydia had found herself in the kitchen of her own home with the girl.

“...Holy shit.” Lydia looked at the pictures covering her kitchen counter.

Covered may be an understatement.

“If it's any consolation I have more of you and Allison.”

Lydia looked up at Kira. “Seriously?”

Kira grinned. “I brought some for you to see too.”

“You did?”

“I figured you could use them after that whole thing with your mom at the mall.” Kira shrugged. “I have so many more but they aren't developed yet.”

Lydia spent a few moments looking over the pictures of Allison and Derek while Kira busied herself with going through her bag.

There was one picture in particular that Lydia liked the most, it had been taken in the backyard of the Hale house on the day they'd played football and made flower crowns. Derek and Allison were the only ones in focus with Allison on Derek's back looking caught between a hug or a piggy back.

They both looked so happy, Lydia wanted a copy of the picture herself for her room. 

“I like this one.” Lydia said, tapping it with her finger. “Their flower crowns would work great with watercolour.”

She can already visualise how she'll do it, keeping everything soft other than the crowns, bright purple and pink to bring it all out.

Kira grinned and dropped another stack of photos onto the desk. “Okay so we’ll use that?”

“Sure, I'll have it done by the barbecue, do we put the painting and the photo in the same frame or…?”

“It's up to you.” Kira replied. “I was going to give him a different picture, I wanna try and find a group one of us.”

“If not we should just try to get one before the barbecue.”

Kira pointed her spoon at Lydia. “Good thinking.”

Kira continued to eat ice cream as Lydia looked through the photos of her and Allison, she couldn't help but smile, they didn't even seem to be aware that a picture was being taken in any of them.

Some were just the two of them talking, surrounded by the rest of the group, others were of them walking just ahead of Kira, hands entwined.

“Oh my god.” Lydia said as she reached the last picture. She looked up at Kira. “I can't believe you caught this.”

It was from the same day as the picture of Allison and Derek's, Lydia could remember the moment vividly. 

“This was when Erica dared Allison to catch me.”

More specifically, the moment Allison was about to put her down, Lydia's face was pressed into Allison's shoulder, Allison was clinging to her, eyes closed and looking so content Lydia couldn't stop staring.

It felt different seeing that moment from another perspective, confirmation of that memory and having a way to revisit it.

“You can keep it.” Kira said. “And I have so many more to show and give you.”

Lydia traced her fingers carefully over the picture. “How do you take all these pictures without us noticing?”

“It's easy to get caught in the moments you share with the people you cherish.” Kira replied. “I like catching those moments.”

As Lydia was about to reply, she heard the front door open and close. She shot a quick look in Kira’s direction.

When her mother appeared in the doorway, it felt like a solid minute passed between the three of them.

Apparently her mother didn't expect Lydia to be hanging out in the kitchen of her own house.

“Lydia! I didn't think you'd be here.” She said brightly as she moved towards the refrigerator. “Who's your friend?”

“This is Kira.” Lydia replied. “Kira, this is my mother.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kira said and bless her beautiful soul she actually meant it. Mostly. Lydia could see the apprehension in her eyes.

Kira reached over to cover Lydia's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. The silence seemed to stretch as her mother moved around the kitchen with an air of nonchalance.

She felt the tension increase tenfold when her mother turned and saw the pictures covering the counter.

Lydia kinda wished she had a picture of her and Allison kissing, just to see the reaction. 

“So Kira, are you seeing anyone?”   
  
“I am.” Kira replied happily.   
  
“Scott McCall, you remember him, don’t you?” Lydia asked.   
  
Her mother seemed to noticeably brighten . “I do, he was in your class.” She turned back to Kira. “How long have you been dating? How did you meet him?”   
  
“It feels like so long.” Kira replied. “Allison introduced me to him when i started at Beacon Hills, after we broke up she helped me and him get together.”   
  
“You… Dated Allison?”   
  
Lydia hid her smile in her hand as she caught Kira’s eye. Kira grinned back at her.    
  
“Oh yeah, she was my first real relationship. Lydia’s got the best girlfriend, trust me Ms Martin.”   
  
“I am  _ very  _ lucky.” Lydia agreed. “Hey Kira, don’t you have to go to that thing?”

It wasn’t that she wanted Kira to leave, it was anything but. It was just that Lydia could see her chance to talk to her mother before she disappeared and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do that with Kira in the room with them.   
  
Thankfully, Kira knew Lydia well enough to pick up on that and nodded furiously, making quick work of gathering up the rest of the pictures on the counter.   
  
“Right, yeah the thing. Can’t be late.” She walked around the counter and hugged Lydia. “Call me if you need me, i can be here in five minutes.” She said quietly.

“Thank you.” Lydia replied, equally as quiet.    
  
She watched Kira leave the kitchen and turned to face her mother as she heard the front door close.    
  
“Why were you with Matt Daehler’s mom?” Lydia asked.   
  
“Do you have any straight friends?” Her mother countered.    
  
“No, can you answer my question now?”   
  
“She runs the book club, you know her son? I hear he’s popular.”   
  
“You heard wrong.” Lydia replied. “Her son is a bully and a creep. Just because he was on the lacrosse team, it doesn’t make him popular, and definitely not a good person.”   
  
“Was?”   
  
“Half of my friends are on the team, Kira included. Scott or Danny is going to make captain in senior year. Matt isn’t going to be allowed back because he treats people like crap.”   
  
“His mother had some interesting things to say about Allison and her mother. About Allison being nothing more than a troublemaker.”   
  
Lydia had to physically hold herself back. “Don’t you  _ dare  _ bring her mother into this. Anything Matt’s mother has to say is no doubt a lie. If you want to know about Allison, ask me. Ask Mrs McCall, ask Allison’s father. Hell, you can probably ask her yourself. Don’t ask people who don’t know a damn thing about her.”

“Fine.” Her mother snapped. “You want me to get to know your friends so well? Invite Allison to dinner, invite whoever you want.”   
  
“I just want to understand why you’re being like this.” Lydia replied quietly. “But fine. If it’s dinner you want, then we’ll have dinner.” She grabbed the two photographs from the counter. “Excuse me.”   
  
  
  
  
The last thing Lydia expected was for her to get a text at two in the morning. She set her pencil to one side and grabbed her phone, it wasn't surprising to see Allison’s name fill her screen.   
  
_ From: Allison, 2:01am _ __   
_ Hey, you up? X _ __   
__   
_ To: Allison, 2:02am _ __   
_ Yeah x _ __   
__   
_ From: Allison, 2:02am _ __   
_ Wanna go on an adventure? X _ __   
__   
Lydia grinned and set her sketchbook on her pillow, already climbing off of her bed.   
  
_ To: Allison, 2:03am _ __   
_ Absolutely. x _ __   
__   
_ From: Allison, 2:05am _ _   
_ __ Ten minutes, i’ll be outside. X

  
  


With Allison, an adventure could probably mean anything from getting ice cream to driving to another state, though Lydia didn’t think Allison would actually do the latter without some heads up.

Tonight though, Allison's idea of an adventure seemed to be going to the park and passing a thermos of hot cocoa between them.

Her eyes are bright again and Lydia can't help but feel more relaxed than she has been in days.

“So we’re going to have dinner with your mom.” Allison said.   
  
Lydia sighed. “Yeah, are you okay with that?”   
  
“Sure.”   


“I was thinking of inviting Danny and Ethan too.”   
  
“Danny would be my first choice if you want a mediator.” Allison agreed. “As much as i love everyone else, he’s just the best equipped for dealing with these situations.”   
  
She was right, Scott and Kira are too nice, Derek is too intense and would probably immediately get protective, Stiles and Malia are too sarcastic, so are Erica, Cora and Boyd and Lydia wouldn’t want to risk putting Isaac in that situation.   
  
No, they need Danny and Ethan’s help. They were cool and collected and Danny could debate for days. They were perfect for this.   
  
“I’ll call him in the morning.” Lydia said. Allison passed her the thermos and she cradled it in her hand and kicked at the sand by her feet. “But if you don’t want to do this you don’t have to.”   
  
“I want to.” Allison cut her off and reached for her hand. “I’m not particularly bothered if she doesn’t like me, but i want you to be happy and i want to help. If this dinner can help you and your mother then i will.”   
  
Lydia smiled and handed Allison the cocoa back and gave herself a slight push, letting herself swing gently. She could feel Allison watch her, the silence between them was peaceful and Lydia felt warm to the core and not just because of the hoody she’d borrowed from Allison.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Lydia said after a few minutes.   
  
“Yeah, me too.” Allison shrugged. “Bad days happen to us all though.”   
  
Lydia hummed, Allison was right. It was good that she knew when to take a step back to focus on her own well being too.   
  
“When i couldn’t sleep, i read about the stars.” Allison began, she set the thermos down on the ground and tipped her head back to stare at the sky. “Mostly about those in the southern sky because i’ve never seen them, you know?”   
  
Lydia slowed to a stop and watched Allison.    
  
“There’s this constellation called Eridanus, some people don’t find it particularly interesting but to be honest, i don’t understand how they can say that because all stars are interesting and amazing.”   
  
Lydia laughed quietly. “Yeah they are.”   
  
“Anyway, i was reading about this constellation and it has this thing called a cold spot, it’s huge and empty and nobody knows why. Like, one of the theories is that it’s just a void, a place where there are no galaxies or anything but it also makes it the biggest void we know of in existence.” Allison held onto the chains of the swing and leaned back a little more. “But what makes this cold spot so interesting is the other theory, the idea that this cold spot? This void in the middle of a constellation? It’s the imprint of another universe.”   
  
“Another universe.” Lydia repeated quietly. “You mean like parallel universes?”   
  
“Exactly.” Allison glanced at her and smiled.    
  
“Do you believe in them?”   
  
“Sure. I mean there’s so much we don’t know about the universe, well, there’s a lot we don’t know in general but in particular the universe. We have to assume that anything is possible in some capacity? But the idea that with every choice we make there exists another universe in which we took the other option, that universes exists with different outcomes to every tragedy…” Allison trailed off and Lydia saw her frown as she refocused her attention on the stars above.

Lydia could guess what she was thinking about, the possibility of a world where her mother never took her own life, a world where she never tried to take her own…   
  
“There could be endless worlds out there.” Allison continued. “Worlds where scientific discoveries were made that we could only dream of here, worlds where wars never happened. God, worlds where dinosaurs never became extinct.” She laughed brightly. “Imagine walking your pet velociraptor every morning, that’d be great. Worlds where there’s a change in our biology that gives us powers. Hell, a world where fucking vampires are real.”   
  
“So many possibilities.” Lydia murmured, staring up at the sky. “Would you ever want to go? Would you ever want to be in a world other than this one?” She dropped her gaze to focus on Allison again.    
  
“No.” Allison replied. “This is our world, yeah, there’s a lot that i would change if i could but leaving would be the easy way. Like, it doesn’t fix the problems, i’d just be replacing the problems of this world with the problems of another?” She laughed quietly to herself. “Besides, there isn’t a world worth seeing unless i knew you’d be there with me.”   
  
Lydia felt speechless. Allison hadn’t stopped staring at the sky and Lydia had to wonder if she knew how much of an effect her words had on Lydia. It took a few moments for Allison to realise that Lydia was staring at her.

Allison looked confused, but otherwise she was smiling. “What?” She asked.

Sometimes Lydia couldn't believe this girl was real. She was just so open with her love and Lydia didn't really know how to handle it, she wasn’t even sure if Allison knew the depth of her words and how much they resonated with Lydia. 

Mostly she wished she knew how to put her own love for Allison into words. She wanted Allison to know how much love she has for her because Allison has done so much for her, she's helped her so much and taught her so much.

“Lyds?” Allison slid off of her seat and moved to kneel in front of Lydia. “Are you okay?”

Allison (the entire group, truthfully, she couldn't give Allison all of the credit) helped her realise that she deserved love in every capacity.  
  
It was probably the first time Lydia had admitted it to herself. She deserved love and nobody could take that away from her.

Lydia threw her arms around Allison, catching her off guard and sending them both to the ground. Allison's arms wrapped around Lydia and held her carefully.

Lydia listened to her breathing, soft and quiet by her ear.

“Lyds?”

“Thank you.” Lydia said, pressing closer to Allison. “Thank you.”

One of Allison's hands moved up to slide into Lydia's hair and Lydia knew in that moment if she asked, Allison would stay there with her all night.

And if Lydia couldn't find the words to tell Allison how she felt, then she'd make sure that her actions spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Saturday now brb while i get emotional at how close this fic is to being over  
> Stay safe!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday! How are we?  
> Possible warnings, there's talk about Victoria's suicide and Allison's attempt and her depression there's also a stupid/ignorant thing said by Natalie in regards to asexuality  
> Basically, she's the worst, not that that's surprising right?

 

“Dinner with the mom? Why aren't we invited?” Erica asked with a pout.

Lydia drank the rest of her coffee before she even attempted to look at the people sitting across from her.

“How equipped do you feel to talk to my mom, former housewife of LA and-”

“Yeah no I'm out.” Erica cut her off, pushing her own coffee towards Lydia. 

“Same.” Cora agreed. “I feel like we'd get into a fight.”

“You could get into a fight with a stop sign.” Boyd replied, causing Erica to snort.

“How and why are you three even up this early?” Lydia asked, beside her, Allison stirred, head hitting the window with a painful sounding thump.

Everyone turned to look at her, shaking their heads as she continued to sleep.

“Pancake craving.” Erica shrugged. “There aren't any eggs at my place.”

“The real question is why are you two here and why is Allison asleep and why do you look so tired?” Cora asked.

“We hung out last night.” Lydia replied. She was going to regret it later but she practically inhaled the coffee Erica had given her.

They'd stayed up all night, talking and listening to music in the car. Lydia didn't even realise how much time had passed until she saw the sunlight hit Allison's face.

From then it was a simple decision to go get breakfast at the diner, she hadn't expected Allison to fall asleep against her after they ordered or for Boyd, Erica and Cora to show up five minutes later.

“Sounds fun.” Boyd said. 

“It was, yeah.”

Allison made another sleepy sound and shifted again, this time her head rolled against Lydia's shoulder.

Lydia smiled down at her and rubbed a hand between her shoulder blades. 

“So how do you plan on getting Allison home?” Cora asked. “Where's her car?”

“In the lot.”

Cora pulled out her phone. “I'll text Derek, that car is confusing as fuck to drive, it may as well be their equivalent of a secret handshake.”

Lydia saw the waitress leave the kitchen with plates stacked with pancakes and she actually heard Erica  _ moan _ .

“We have a spare room made up, you and Allison can crash there.” Cora said, setting her phone down beside her orange juice. “But first wake her up, pancakes are best when they're still hot.”  
  
  
  


The bed in the spare room was slightly narrower than her or Allison’s bed, but it’s just as, maybe even more comfortable than her own. 

Truthfully, it didn’t matter how many times she seemed to visit this house, Lydia always seemed to discover new rooms. She was actually kind of convinced that if she pulled the right book in the library it’d reveal a secret room.

Lydia wished she could fall asleep, she knew that drinking that second cup of coffee was a terrible idea but she couldn’t complain. Talia had greeted her with a warm hug and ushered her upstairs to the room while Derek followed behind with Allison in his arms.

Other than waking up to eat her pancakes and give Lydia a quick kiss, and again once more when Lydia and Derek had helped her to the car, she’d stayed fast asleep. It was somewhat impressive. 

She was still asleep now, face tucked against Lydia’s waist, arms wrapped around her. Lydia stayed propped up against the headboard, fingers combing through her hair.    
  
Lydia knew she should text Danny at some point, maybe organise to have the dinner in a day or two. The longer she put it off the more likely her mother was to back out of the entire idea. It wouldn’t do any good for Lydia’s anxieties either, for now her thoughts were quiet but it would only be a matter of time before she started to worry over all of the possible ways the dinner could go.   


Lydia looked down at the girl in her arms. She didn’t want Allison to worry over it all either.

Oh  _ God  _ and food. Her mother couldn’t cook for shit and Lydia herself barely knew any recipes, sure takeout would be an option but they basically lived on it already and this whole dinner was important to Lydia and she wanted it to be nice.

She should ask Chris for help. Or Boyd, Lydia knew he was a fantastic cook. 

On second thought, she was feeling kind of tired. She gently eased Allison onto her side and shuffled down until her head met the pillow. Allison groaned and shifted closer.   
  
“Lyds?” She asked sleepily.   
  
“I’m here.”   
  
“Lydia?” Allison opened her eyes and blinked. Lydia watched her eyes focus and a small smile found its way to her lips. “Hey.”   
  
“Hey, you okay?”   
  
Allison’s eyes flickered up from Lydia’s lips and glanced around. “We’re at Derek’s?”   
  
“Yeah, turns out you and Derek are the only one’s who can drive your car and-” Lydia looked at Allison thoughtfully. “Can you hear me?”   
  
“Not really.” Allison said. “I’m too comfortable to lift my head, don’t worry i can read your lips fine.” She smiled widely. “Also it does give me an excuse to look at your lips.”

“Like you need an excuse to look at my lips.” Lydia rolled her eyes.

“True.” Allison held up a hand. “May I?”

Lydia nodded. “Sure.”

To be honest, she was expecting a kiss, or something to that effect. Instead Allison brought her thumb to Lydia's lips, Lydia stayed stock still, trying to focus on the way Allison's expression was fixed on Lydia's lips. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love your lips?” She asked.

Lydia shook her head and Allison smiled, slowly drawing her thumb away and cupping her cheek. 

“Well I do.” 

Lydia turned to press her lips into Allison's palm. “Thank you.” She mumbled. 

“Wanna get some sleep?” Allison asked.

“Yeah, okay.” Lydia agreed. 

Sleep would be good, staying in this room with Allison where it's quiet and safe and she didn’t have to worry about anything.

  
  


“Hey Boyd, you know how to cook right?” Lydia asked, dropping down on the grass beside him and Erica.

“Sure, why?” He asked.   
  
Lydia shrugged, in the time her and Allison had been asleep, the rest of the group had shown up. Her hair was wet and had been pulled into a braid and Cora had graciously loaned her some clothes of her own.

“That dinner i’m throwing? I don’t want to order food, you know?”   
  
Boyd nodded thoughtfully and in the silence that fell over the three of them, their gazes slid to the rest of the group, they were playing lacrosse, though Derek looked to be entirely out of his depth as Allison, Kira, Scott, Stiles and Danny ran laps around him.

“Okay.” Boyd nodded. “How are you with kids?”   
  
“Um… Fine?” Lydia frowned. “Why?”   
  
“I have a little sister, come over tomorrow, we’ll figure out what you want to make, you could always cut corners by having Allison and Danny bring something too. I’ll take you grocery shopping and everything too.”   
  
“Can i come?” Erica asked.   
  
Boyd raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to help or do you want free food?”   
  
Erica hesitated for a moment, grinning at Boyd and Lydia. “If i say free food will you say no?”   
  
“I could always use morale support.” Lydia shrugged. “My cooking skill is… Minimal.”   
  
Boyd reached over to pat Lydia shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I’ll talk you through it all.” He pulled out his phone. “Okay, lets start simple, any allergies, likes, dislikes?”   
  
Lydia felt a weight lift from her shoulders. “You’re a lifesaver Boyd.”   
  
“I know.” Boyd smiled. 

“Why aren’t you two playing lacrosse with the others?” Lydia asked.    
  
Erica shrugged. “It’s not really my game.”   
  
“I just wasn’t feeling it.” Boyd added. “It’s just a warm up to see what kind of condition they’re all in before school starts again.”

“Have you ever played lacrosse?” Erica asked.   
  
Lydia shook her head sharply. “‘I’m not the best at sport.”   
  
“Want to try?”    
  
Lydia rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “That… Probably isn’t the best idea.” She said.    
  
It actually felt like an accident waiting to happen, they were practising because they wanted to be ready, because Allison wanted to be on the team this year. If she joined in all she would only get in the way and be a burden. 

“You sure?” Erica asked. “Nobody will mind.”   
  
“I’m sure.” Lydia replied. “Maybe another time?”   
  
“Oh we’re going to hold you to that.” Erica grinned. “Besides, you're basically a pro at bowling, so I'm sure you'll be fine at other sport.”

Lydia didn't want to point out that bowling doesn't involve other balls being thrown in your direction or being tackled by other people.

Boyd shuffled closer. “How do you feel about beef?”  
  


* * *

  
When Lydia walked into the coffee shop she spotted Erica and Cora immediately, they were in their usual spot on the sofa and even though Cora didn’t seem to be working, instead, she was scribbling away on a piece of paper. Lydia spotted Isaac at the counter and gave them a wave as they noticed her.    
  
“Lydia!” Erica called. “What are you doing here?”   
  
Lydia walked over to lean against the sofa. “I’m meeting Allison for a date…. What are you doing?” She asked, directing the question towards Cora.   
  
“Some asshole decided to hit on me earlier.” Cora said.   
  
“He figured the Harry Potter route was the way to go, of all things.” Erica continued. “He said she was a Gryffindor. Honestly i thought she was going to throw his coffee on him.”   
  
Lydia nodded slowly, not feeling any less confused.   
  
“So now Cora is writing a list of all of the reasons why he’s so wrong and that she is in fact, a Slytherin.” Isaac explained, setting a tray of coffee’s down. “Hey Lydia, they/them pronouns today.”   
  
“I’m also sorting the whole group while i’m at it.” Cora muttered.   
  
Erica dramatically threw herself into Cora’s lap. “Seduce me with your Harry Potter trivia!”    
  
“Harry, Ron and Hermione all got their own chocolate frog cards.” Cora replied without missing a beat.

Erica let out a delighted sound. “You nerd.”   
  
“So you’re sorting the group into Hogwarts houses?” Lydia asked. She walked around to sit down in the seat adjacent from the sofa.    
  
Cora hummed. “Me, Erica, Stiles and Malia are Slytherin.”   
  
Erica nodded. “Honestly, as if we belong anywhere else.”   
  
“Ethan too, maybe. He has a lot of Slytherin characteristics but i can argue a case for Ravenclaw…” Cora wrote something down. “I’ll have some questions for  _ him  _ later.”   
  
“Cora takes this very seriously.” Isaac said quietly.   
  
“It is serious.” Cora protested. She pointed at Isaac. “You’re a Hufflepuff, so are Scott and Kira.”   
  
Lydia nodded, she couldn’t fault that.   
  
“Now… Boyd, Gryffindor?” She looked to Erica, who shrugged. “I’m gonna say Gryffndor or Ravenclaw.”   
  
“What about Derek?” Lydia asked.    
  
“See, now  _ he’s  _ a Gryffindor. Maybe a Hufflepuff if you really argued it. You and Danny are the Ravenclaws and lets be honest, Allison is the biggest Gryffindor ever.”   
  
Lydia laughed at that. “You’re right, she is.”    
  
She wouldn’t have been able to picture Allison in any other house. It was a nice feeling that Cora had figured out her house too, and that she had put her in the house that Lydia would have sorted herself into.    
  
“My personal pottermore.” Erica said affectionately, ruffling Cora’s hair. “So Lydia, how goes the dinner planning?”   
  
“Okay? I just have a couple things to run over with Boyd later and i should be ready.” Lydia replied. Honestly, she was trying not to think about it too much, it was one of the reasons he and Allison were going on a date today, she needed the distraction.

“You know,  _ if  _ it goes bad…” Cora began, sharing a look with Erica. “We can get revenge in many petty ways.”   
  
“But we’re also very supportive and will do whatever we can to help.” Isaac added.    
  
Lydia smiled at them, having so many people around to support her made the prospect of this dinner a lot easier to handle.   
  
“Good morning!” Allison called, approaching them and beaming in Lydia’s direction. Allison was dressed in her dark grey sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and staring at Lydia. “Holy shit that dress is incredible on you!”   
  
Lydia glanced down at her outfit, it had been a dress Erica had picked out for her on one of their shopping trips, she’d insisted that pink was a perfect colour for Lydia.    
  
“Wow i feel really under dressed.” Allison continued, looking down and kicking a leg out halfheartedly.    
  
“You look fine.” Lydia assured her, pushing herself out of her seat and grabbing Allison’s hand. “Believe me, i’m a big fan of the sweatpants.”   
  
Cora snorted quietly. 

“How are you?” Allison asked.    
  
“I’m good, you?”   
  
Allison grinned. “I’m great. Can i kiss you?”   
  
Lydia laughed. “Of course.”   
  
She was vaguely aware of Cora mimicking throwing up beside them and Allison flipping her the bird as she kissed Lydia.    
  
“No love for us?” Isaac asked.    
  
Allison wrapped an arm around Lydia’s shoulders and smiled at Isaac. “Always, what’s up?”   
  
“Cora is sorting everyone into Hogwarts houses.” Erica said. “She’s really dedicated.”   
  
“Cute!” Allison replied.    
  
“It’s not cute.” Cora sighed.    
  
“It’s a little cute.” Isaac pointed out. “So where are you two going?”   
  
Allison and Lydia shared a look and they both shrugged. They honestly hadn’t planned that far ahead.    
  
“I could go for a slushie?” Lydia suggested.    
  
“Sounds wonderful.” Allison replied.    
  
“You kids have fun.” Erica winked.

 

“So Gryffindor?” Allison nodded slowly, chewing thoughtfully on her straw. “Really?”   
  
“You sound surprised.” Lydia said. 

After they’d grabbed their slushies, they’d gone to walk through the park together, Allison held her hand tight, swinging it between them.    
  
“A little.” Allison admitted. “I never put much thought into my own house, Cora nailed yours though.”   
“So you’ve thought about everyone elses houses but your own?”   
  
Allison nodded. Lydia almost laughed, it felt like she was basically proving her own point.    
  
They sat down together, Allison pulled Lydia onto her lap and hugged her close. “I like this.” She said.   
  
“Me too.” Lydia agreed.    
  
She especially liked when Allison laughed, she knew the reason Allison always chose the blue slushie was because it always turned her tongue blue.    
  
Lydia also liked the way it made Allison’s kisses taste.    
  
  
  


* * *

 

  
  
  
Two days and five attempts later, the night of the dinner is upon Lydia and why did she think it would be a good idea to have this happen so soon?

_ “Lydia. Lydia, you're fine.”  _ Boyd encouraged softly.  _ “You have everything written down, right?” _

Lydia looked at the pages of instructions on her counter. “Something like that.”

_ “Then you'll be fine. You got all the ingredients?” _

Lydia nodded to herself. “Yeah.”

After a lot of debate, Lydia and Boyd had eventually agreed on a seafood paella, even though the idea of handling raw seafood made Lydia squirm uncomfortably, it looked and tasted  _ amazing _ . 

_ “What's don't you forget to add?”  _ Boyd asked.

“Garlic. Never forget the garlic.”

_ “Good job. Call me if you have any troubles, don't worry about anything else.” _

Lydia closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Thank you Boyd, I owe you one.”

Boyd hummed and the line went dead.

Lydia thought about calling Allison to check in, to see if she was still okay with coming over, if she knew what she was going to wear, if she was having any second thoughts or not.

She didn't want to risk Allison picking up on her anxiety though, so she settled for a quick text full of heart emojis.

She did call Danny though, he picked up on the second ring and Lydia could hear the smile in his voice.

_ “Lydia, good afternoon. How are you doing?” _

“Lowkey freaking out, I'm still in my sweats, about to prep dinner. How are you?”

_ “Oh, you know. Just trying to decide what to wear. Is a tie too much?”  _ Danny asked.

“Maybe.” Lydia agreed. “But honestly so long as no one shows up in jeans and a t-shirt then it's fine.”

Danny let out a considering hum.  _ “What are you wearing?” _

“I was thinking this white sundress I brought with Erica and Isaac at the start of the summer. It has orange flowers on it.”

_ “Ooh, cute. Have you seen your mom?” _

“Not yet.” Lydia sighed. “I swear to god if she doesn't show up after I've spent the past few days on the verge of a panic attack I don't know what I'm going to do.”

_ “We call Derek, have him use that fake ID to bring us some booze and we party?” _

Lydia laughed, Danny always knew the quickest ways to cheer her up. 

“Hm, I'll let you know. Thanks Danny.”

_ “No problem, chin up kiddo. We’ll be there at seven okay?” _

“Okay.”

Danny hung up after another round of goodbyes, leaving Lydia alone with her thoughts in the kitchen. 

She had all of the timings planned out perfectly, she had everything written down even though Lydia had memorised it all already, she just wanted to be safe. 

Allison sent her a snapchat of herself blowing Lydia a kiss, in the background she could see a selection of outfits on the bed and Lydia smiled. Allison was okay, Danny and Ethan would be there too and dinner was going to be perfect.

It was all going to be fine.   
  
  
  


Lydia had been in the process of trying to make her way back to the kitchen whilst putting her earrings in when the front door knocked. Lydia cursed to herself and made her way to the door and pulled it open.

“Surprise!” Danny threw his arms out in a hug. Lydia accepted it gladly. “How are you?”

“We brought dessert.” Ethan supplied from behind him. “Also Allison.”

Lydia's head snapped up to look over Danny's shoulder and surely enough Ethan was stood there with a pie in one hand and his arm around Allison's shoulder, the girl was staring at Lydia with wide eyes and… Holding a vase of flowers?

“You look amazing.” Allison said.

Lydia eased out of Danny's hold, Allison was wearing a dress- the same one she wore on their first date, and the necklace Lydia had brought her. The memory was brief but enough to bring a smile to her face.

“So do you.” Lydia replied. “All of you.”

She ushered everyone inside and took the pie from Ethan. 

“The food smells  _ amazing _ .” Danny groaned. 

“It'll be ready in a minute.” Lydia smiled. “Go on and sit down.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Ethan asked.

Lydia shook her head. “It'll be fine just…” She glanced up at the ceiling. “Be ready.”

“Danny told me that they had dessert covered and i didn’t know what else to bring so…” Allison held the vase towards Lydia. “I hope you like lilies.”   
  
“I love them Allison, thank you.” Lydia took them and held them carefully as she squeezed Allison’s hand. “Are you okay?”   
  
“I’m fine, are you sure you don’t need any help?” Allison asked.    
  
Lydia set the vase down on the table beside the phone, she made a mental note to move them to her room when she got a chance. “Do you want to take the plates into the dining room while i go get get my mom?”   
  
Allison nodded, smiling brightly. “I can do that.” She gestured towards the kitchen. “That smells  _ amazing  _ by the way.”   
  
“Thank you.”

Allison squeezed Lydia’s hand. “I’d ask to kiss you but your makeup looks so flawless, i don’t want to ruin it.”   
  
“I don’t mind.” Lydia replied. “I like your kisses.”   
  
Allison beamed and swooped down to brush her lips against Lydia’s cheek. “I’ll go get the plates.”

Lydia smiled back at her and made her way upstairs to her mother’s room, pausing briefly to make sure her hair was fixed before knocking on her mom’s door.    
  
“What?”   
  
“Dinner will be ready in five, are you still joining us?”   
  
It might just be her imagination, but she was sure she heard a scoff. “Of course i’ll be down.”   
  
Lydia took a step back from the door. “Okay, yeah. See you in a minute.”   
  
  


Five minutes later, Lydia was sat at the dinner table. Her mother was sat at the head of the table to her left, Danny was directly opposite Lydia with Ethan beside him and on Lydia’s right, sat Allison. Allison’s expression was that of pure pride as she took in the food on the table.    
  
“This is amazing Lydia.” Allison said, making no attempt to hide the awe in her voice. “You should be proud of yourself.”   
  
“We second that.” Danny agreed, Ethan nodded beside him.

“You haven’t tasted it yet.” Lydia pointed out. God, she hoped that she didn’t get everyone food poisoning. That would be awful.

“If the smell is anything to go by, you have nothing to worry about.” Ethan reassured her. 

“What he said.” Allison said, grinning across at Ethan. 

“It does look surprisingly good.” Her mother said and wow, okay. Vague compliment. “Did you make it yourself?”   
  
“Boyd taught me the recipe, but yes.” Lydia replied, she felt Allison’s hand rest on her knee under the table. “He’s a great teacher.”   
  
“And a fantastic cook.” Danny laughed. “Seriously, if he doesn’t go to culinary school i’m going to have to have words with him.” He added, causing Ethan to laugh quietly beside him.

“Do you all plan on going to college?” Her mother asked.

“I think so.” Allison said, nodding more to herself than anything.    
  
“We haven’t talked about it yet, but Derek, one of our friends, he leaves for college in a few days.” Danny continued. “I think it’s definitely on the cards for us all though.”   
  
“Not to say there’s anything wrong with not going to college.” Ethan added.    
  
“Absolutely.” Allison agreed. “It’s ultimately up to everyone what they choose to do but we always have each other's best interests at heart.”

“You and your friends are all in some kind of group? Is that right?”    
  
Lydia raised an eyebrow at her mother. She knew full well about the group, she’d mentioned it in the past and she  _ definitely  _ would have heard about it from Matt’s mother.    
  
“That’s right.” Allison nodded, giving Danny a look as she took a sip of water. 

“It was a club i started at school, for people within the LGBTQIA community so that we could all meet, connect and have a safe place to be. It’s pretty small, aside from Derek everyone who comes are in the same grade as us.” Danny explained.   
  
“We’re hoping that it’ll pick up more attention though.” Allison shrugged.    
  
“I’m sorry, LGBTQIA?” Lydia’s mother frowned. “What do the last three mean?”   
  
“The Q can stand for queer or questioning, though unless you’re part of the community you shouldn’t use queer.” Danny said.   
  
“It’s really up to the individual if they’re comfortable with it or not.” Ethan interrupted. “So we don’t really use it unless referring to ourselves.”   
  
“The I stands for intersex and the A for asexual and aromantic.” Danny continued.    
  
Her mother's confusion only seemed to grow, Lydia really hoped that Danny had brought pamphlets with him. It would probably make things a whole lot easier.   
  
“Asexual? Aromantic?”   
  
“Asexuality is when you don’t experience sexual attraction, aromantic is when you don’t feel romantic attraction. The two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive and there are many other identities that fall under the spectrum.” Allison explained. “Though that might be a bit hard to explain all in one go… So like, i’m demisexual, so i only experience sexual attraction when i have a close bond with someone.” Allison cleared her throat and drank her water again. “Just realised how weird it is to talk about my sexual attraction habits with your mother.” She added in a quiet voice.   
  
“So wait, no sex? But sex is what makes us human!”   
  
Lydia felt herself freeze as Danny and Ethan both snapped their heads towards her mother. Shock written into both of their expressions. It was the first time Lydia had ever heard someone say those words, it’s kind of an awful feeling.   
  
“Mom, that’s terrible to say.” Lydia replied.    
  
“Animals have sex. Barnacles have sex. There’s a lot more to humanity than sexual acts, Ms Martin.” Allison said cooly. “We’re full of possibilities, it’s kinda what makes us a pretty awesome species.” 

“I have pamphlets if you’re interested in learning.” Danny said. “You could probably benefit from learning more about the community.”    
  
It was such a subtle insult, Lydia had to grin at him.   
  
Allison smiled warmly at him and Lydia reached over to brush her fingers over the back of Allison’s hand.    
  
“You okay?” Lydia asked.   
  
“Yeah, sure.” Allison replied in a tone that definitely implied that she wasn’t okay but was going to do her best to hide it. She smiled at Lydia. “This does taste amazing, by the way.” She said, shoving a fork full of food into her mouth. 

“Do you always get this defensive?” Her mother asked.   
  
Allison’s smile lacked any warmth, it was actually kind of concerning. Lydia was glad that it was a type of smile that rarely graced Allison’s face.   
  
“I wouldn’t call pointing out your mistake defensive, Ms Martin. But yes, I am rather defensive when it comes to protecting people i care about.”

“Is that what you told yourself when you beat up Matthew Daehler?”   
  
Lydia frowned, and she saw Danny and Ethan do the same.   
  
“She never beat up Matt.” Danny said. “She got into a fight with him because him and a group of his friends were beating up and making fun of a person for being abused by their father. Allison did nothing wrong.”

Her mother looked surprised, Lydia was willing to bet that the information her mother had received about that fight was definitely skewed, though what else did Lydia expect when her source of the information came from Matt’s mother.   
  
“I have heard other stories of you being… Violent.”   
  
“Allison isn’t violent.” Lydia snapped.    
  
“I assure you Ms Martin, i’ve only ever fought to protect myself or another person.” Allison replied. “I have had issues with anger in the past and i would often throw myself into those situations as a result of that and other circumstances.”

Lydia squeezed Allison’s hand again. “Alli…”   
  
“By other circumstances do you mean your mother's suicide, or your own attempt?”   
  
“Mother!” Lydia exclaimed. “That’s not fair.”   
  
“With all due respect Ms Martin, you’re crossing a line.” Danny said.    
  
“My mother's suicide.” Allison replied without missing a beat. “She was brought up internalising her feelings and pain because she saw it as weakness and it materialised into something dark and twisted and rather than ask for help she put a gun to her head and shot herself.” It was the coldest Allison’s voice had ever sounded, a long way away from the quiet and careful Allison who shared the same story with Lydia only a few weeks ago.   
  
Danny and Ethan were watching carefully, concerned expression when they looked at Allison and angry when they looked to Lydia’s mother, they seemed to be ready to intervene in a moments notice.   
  
“I was brought up with the same ideals. That feelings were best kept to myself and after she died i refused to talk to anybody about it. Not even to Scott or Stiles and they were the closest friends i had at the time.”    
  
Lydia couldn’t help the brief feeling of hurt. She hadn’t been there when Victoria had died, she hadn’t even written Allison. She laced their fingers together, she hoped that Allison would take it as the silent apology that it was. Though she also knew that Allison would never blame Lydia for that.

“So i let my pain manifest, i was angry and hurting and i didn’t talk to anybody and it got too much so i got into fights and then i tried to kill myself.” Allison said, eyes locked with Lydia’s mother.    
  
“Allison…” Danny began quietly. “You don’t have to do this.”   
  
“It’s what Ms Martin wants to hear though, isn’t it?” She looked at Lydia’s mother. “That’s why you asked.”   
  
“I…” Her mother hesitated.   
  
“So yeah, that’s why i did it. I lost the hearing in my right ear as a result, i’ll live with that for the rest of my life. I got help, i saw a therapist, so did my dad. We learned to talk, he had to learn a lot of stuff too. We talk now, he quit his job as a weapons dealer because he couldn’t bear to be around so many guns, the only gun he has now he locks away as soon as he’s off duty. Also because even though i’m in a really good place now i know he still gets worried that i might try it again and that eats at me every day because my dad buried his wife. I don’t want him to bury his daughter.”   
  
Lydia had to look down at her plate and close her eyes to try and stop the tears from forming. It hurt to have the words be laid out so bluntly, even if they do all know the truth and she can only imagine how painful it is for Allison right now. To come to a dinner to support her girlfriend only to have it turn to… This.   
  
“Ms Martin,” Allison continued, finally setting down her fork. “I understand that you don’t like me, though i know now that everything you know about me or our friends is wrong. You’ve been told half truths and stories from biased and uneducated sources. You knew me growing up. You know Lydia has been and always will be my best friend. Lydia is the most incredible person i have ever met, she’s kind, talented, beautiful and i have never met anyone like her before in my life.” Allison gestured to Danny and Ethan. “We are her friends and the people she spends time with and you should care about that.”   
  
Lydia nodded and turned her attention to her mother who rightly looked shocked and a little bit embarrassed by the whole situation. 

“She’s right, mom. You don’t know a thing about what i like and what i do and you haven’t made any attempt to learn. All you do is try to make me befriend people i don’t want to be friends with.”

Lydia watched as her mother slowly set down her cutlery and looked around the table. “I think dinner is over, don’t you?” She said.   
  
That was polite talk for, ‘get the fuck out of my house’ and everyone knew it.   
  
“If you say so.” Danny replied, glancing at Lydia and pushing his chair back, gesturing for Ethan to do the same.

“Come on, i’ll get you a tub so you can take some home if you want?” Lydia asked Allison.   
  
Allison blinked a few times and looked at Lydia, taking her hand and letting Lydia pull her to her feet. “I’d like that.” She replied softly.  
  


Lydia didn’t look at her mother as they left the room and all piled into the kitchen. Danny closed the door behind him and leaned against it, sighing heavily. Ethan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and settled against him.   
  
“Allison, i’m so sorry.” Lydia span around to take both of her hands in her own. “I had no idea that she’d do that, i’m so-”   
  
“Hey.” Allison pulled one of her hands free to cup Lydia’s chin. “It’s okay. I’m… I’ll be okay.”

“She shouldn’t have done that.” Lydia said.    
  
“You’re right.” Allison agreed, her hand moving to cup her jaw, her other hand coming to rest on the other side of her face. “But that isn’t your fault. You don’t have to apologise for her behaviour. You can’t control that.”   
  
Allison tipped her head forward to rest their foreheads together. Lydia almost wanted to cry, Allison was the one who was probably hurting the most and there she was, as always, reassuring Lydia.    
  
“So what happens now?” Ethan asked.

Allison pulled back to give Lydia a serious look and god, she looked so exhausted. Lydia wanted to give her ice cream and so many hugs. 

“Lydia, do you want to stay with one of us tonight?” Allison asked seriously. “Are you okay here?”   
  
“I’m fine, Allison. I’ll be okay.”    
  
“Are you sure? You know dad won’t mind if you want to stay.”    
  
“Can i hug you?” Lydia asked. Allison opened her arms and Lydia stepped into her arms, sighing in relief as Allison held her tight. “It’s okay. I’m going to stay, unless you need me to come with? Are you okay?”   
  
Allison rested her chin on top of Lydia’s head. “I’ll be fine. But you’ll promise you’ll call me? Doesn’t matter what time. If you need to get out…”

“I’ll call you.” Lydia finished, hugging her close. “I will. I promise.” She pulled away reluctantly. “Come on, i’ll get you guys that food.” She looked over to Danny. “You should probably take the pie back too. I don’t want it to be wasted.”

“Nonsense, you-”   
  
“I’m not going to eat it.” Lydia shrugged. “And i don’t think she deserves pie.”    
  
Ethan laughed. “I second that.”   
  
Danny gave Ethan a stern look with no real heat behind it before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a stack of pamphlets and oh, okay. So that’s where he’d been hiding them.   
  
“Give these to her.” He said. “There’s one on the ace and aro spectrum, one on gender identity and the other is about our group as a whole.”   
  
Lydia took them and set them to one side. “Thank you, i will.”    
  
“And seriously about the calling?” Allison said, Lydia could feel her eyes on her as she packed the paella into tupperware containers and shoved them into Allison, Danny and Ethan’s hands. “Thank you.”   
  
Lydia followed them to the front door and waved Ethan and Danny off, Allison lingered for a moment, standing in the doorway and watching them.    
  
“I’ll text you later.” Lydia said. “I promise.”   
  
Allison nodded and looked back to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
Allison nodded. “Do you want a kiss?”   
  
“Yes please.”   
  
Allison swooped in for a kiss, hand stroking her jaw and holding her closer. It went on for a few moments longer than Lydia was expecting and she was pleasantly surprised when Allison’s teeth grazed her lower lip.    
  
“Okay.” Allison mumbled, pressing another quick kiss to Lydia’s lips. “I’ll head home.”   
  
Lydia squeezed Allison's hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive safe.”   
  
She hoped Allison could hear the ‘i love you’ in her words.

Allison smiled brightly. “Absolutely.”

She watched Allison until she’d gotten into her car and driven off before closing the door. As soon as i was firmly shut, she heard her mother's footsteps and from the corner of her vision, could see the woman standing in the doorway of the dining room.   
  
“You embarrassed us both tonight.” Was all she said.   
  
Lydia closed her eyes. “ _ You  _ embarrassed yourself by being cruel to my girlfriend and intruding on her past traumas and accusing her of being defensive when that’s what you’ve been doing all night.”   
  
She thought back to Allison’s words, both from the kitchen and how she talked about her and her mother.   
  
Lydia opened her eyes and honestly she couldn’t believe how long it had taken to realise it.   
  
“You care so much about what people think about you, don’t you?” Lydia asked.    
  
Her mother stared at her. “Of course. Appearances are everything.”   
  
“Even if they’re fake?”   
  
“What?”   
  
“That’s what you do, isn’t it?” Lydia asked. “What you and dad do. You care so much about what other people think that you’d hide your true self from them.”   
  
Her mother scoffed. “That’s not true.”   
  
“Yes it is! You knew dad was having an affair and yet you acted like nothing was wrong because you cared so much about what others thought!” Lydia took a step back. “...And you taught me to do the same.”   
  
“Lydia. Stop it.”   
  
Lydia shook her head. “I’m right though.  _ Allison  _ was right. She picked up her behaviour from her mother and I behave the way i did because you taught me that i should present a certain front to everyone else.”

“I just want you to be happy.” Her mother replied. “Like you were back home.”   
  
“I  _ am  _ happy. I’m the happiest i’ve been for years. I get to be myself here, my friends are my friends because they want to be, not because i have daddy’s credit card or the best clothes.or the hot quarterback who cared so little for my self worth and cheated on me the entire time we were together because i wouldn’t have sex with him as much as he wanted. As soon as they realised i couldn’t… Wouldn’t be that person anymore, they got rid of me. I came back to Beacon Hills with no friends and more insecurities than i knew how to deal with and sometimes i think maybe i should see someone about it because sometimes i still think i don’t deserve the love my friends give me even though i know that i do.”   
  
Lydia pushed a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh, she hated feeling this close to tears, she hated feeling it in front of her mother.    
  
She couldn’t remember the last time she cried in front of her mother. 

“But i’m doing well.” Lydia said. “Beacon Hills is my home. I have amazing and supportive friends. I have a girlfriend who knows me so well and cares so much about me. I started to paint and draw again, i’m making progress and learning to accept the love i’m given because i deserve that. I deserve to be loved. I deserve to have friends who will raise me up and support me. I deserve a girlfriend who will make me my favourite pancakes when i’m upset and knows my favourite coffee orders and will always give me her hoody, no matter what. But i also deserve to have a mom who will listen and support me and care about my life.”

Lydia glanced away, taking advantage of the moment to wipe at the tears she could feel building.    
  
“You met Allison, you should get to know her.” She held out the pamphlets and her mother took them apprehensively. “You should read them. Danny has more, so many. He makes them because they’re good to use to get started. You should read them and learn and if you have questions, there are people who will talk to you. I love you mom, but you need to acknowledge that you’ve been damaging to me and yourself and now you have a chance to change. There are people here who will be your friend. Mrs McCall or Mrs Hale or even Allison’s dad. Talk to them, please.”   
  
“Lydia…”   
  
“I need to call my girlfriend.” Lydia mumbled. “Goodnight, mom.”   
  
She walked upstairs without looking behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually physically painful to write at the time tbh  
> I'm thinking chapter 19 on Monday and 20 on Thursday (maybe wednesday but that's bake off day so... We'll see)  
> STAY SAFE I LOVE YOU ALL


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!

 

“You seriously said all that?” Malia asked, whistling when Lydia nodded. “That’s hardcore Martin.” They laughed. “You should be proud of yourself.” They frowned. “Are you not proud?”   
  
Lydia shrugged. “Kinda? I wish all the things could have been said without dragging Allison into it.”   
  
“She did offer to come.” Stiles pointed out from beside Malia, cursing as he tripped over what appeared to be a pebble.   
  
“Please don’t break your leg, Allison wants us at the coffee shop in one piece.” Malia said, grabbing Stiles’ arm.    
  
They’d all gotten the text telling them to meet at the shop at ten at five in the morning, Lydia had had to check the time stamp half a dozen times before she even believed it. She and Allison had been on the phone with each other until Lydia had fallen asleep at two, meaning Allison either slept for three hours or not at all, which was concerning.    


“Do we even know why she wants us there?” Stiles asked.    
  
“No idea.” Lydia replied.    
  
“It feels like a meeting, don’t you think?” Malia said. “Just more spontaneous.”

“It does definitely have that urgent vibe.” Stiles agreed.    
  
“You know, neither of you are helping my anxiety here.” Lydia muttered.    
  
“Sorry.” Stiles winced.    
  
Malia threw their arm over Lydia’s shoulder. “So paella, huh? I hear that’s the shit.”

  
  
Thankfully by the time they exhausted  _ that  _ topic of conversation, they reached the coffee shop and slipped inside. Lydia was actually pretty surprised at how busy it was but then again, this early in the morning people are going to need a caffeine fix.    
  
The group was in their usual spot, piled on and around the sofa, Allison seemed to be sat on one of the tables, gesturing wildly as she explained something to Kira. 

“Um… I think she’s had a lot of coffee.” Stiles said quietly.   
  
Allison looked over, breaking out into a wide smile as she saw them. Sliding off of the table and damn near vaulting over the sofa to get to them.    
  
“Lydia!” She turned to Stiles and Malia. “Glad you could all make it.”   
  
“Yeah, better late than never!” Erica called.    
  
“They aren't late.” Allison replied. “Besides, Scott and Isaac aren't here yet.” She turned back to Lydia and smiled. “You okay?”

“Yeah, you?” Lydia asked. There were definite bags under Allison's eyes. “Did you sleep last night?”

Allison shook her head. “Kept thinking, couldn't stop. Do you want a drink?” She gestured towards the counter.

“Um sure.”

“The usual?”

Lydia smiled. “Yeah.”

“And maybe get decaf for yourself, huh, Allison?” Malia suggested.

“Ha, good one Malia.” Allison laughed as she drifted away.

Malia and Stiles both gave Lydia a long look that she waved off.

“I'll make sure she sleeps later.”

They nodded and both moved to follow Allison, leaving Lydia to go join the rest of the group.

“Morning Lydia.” Boyd greeted. I heard the paella was a success.”

“Probably the most successful part of the night.” Lydia sighed causing Boyd to flash her a sympathetic look. At some point during the night Lydia had sent the whole group a text giving them a quick summary of the night. She knew Allison, Danny and Ethan wouldn't have said anything otherwise.

“It was a pretty intense night huh?” Kira asked.

“It was certainly something.” Lydia agreed. She looked around the group, letting her gaze linger briefly on Derek. “Do any of you know why we’re here?”

Derek and Danny both shrugged so yes, they absolutely knew but weren't about to share that information any time soon.

Scott and Isaac arrived before Lydia could ask again, both looked to be half asleep.

“Morning all.” Scott greeted. Isaac offered a halfhearted wave. 

“I'll get the drinks in.” Scott murmured to them, patting Isaac's chest before moving past to greet Kira with a kiss and heading towards the counter.

“Him/his pronouns today.” Isaac said, pushing on Erica until she made room for him to sit on the arm of the seat beside her. “So why are we up this early and why are we meeting in a coffee shop when the sun is trying to kill us?”   
  
It was a valid point, while most of the summer had been pretty wonderful in terms of weather, Lydia could tell that today was going to be one of those days where the heat bordered on unbearable and seeing as everybody else was wearing as little as possible without it being too inappropriate (those shorts Allison was wearing good  _ lord. _ ) they all knew it.

“I start my shift at eleven.” Cora said.

“And let's be real this is basically our main hangout.” Kira said. “We never should have had that friends marathon.” She added quietly.   
  
“Mostly i think Allison just wanted to drown in coffee.” Derek finished.

“I heard that.” Allison said, appearing at Lydia’s side and holding a mug out for her, which Lydia took gladly.   
  
“Thank you.” Lydia smiled, she reached up to tap Allison’s cheek. “May i?”

As Allison nodded, Lydia leaned up to kiss her cheek, delighted when she feels Allison’s dimple as she grins. 

“So….” Cora drawled. “What’s the issue?”   
  
Allison reached out to wipe the corner of Lydia’s mouth, thumb coming away stained with lipgloss. She didn’t seem as concerned about the mark on her cheek. She stepped away to move towards where Danny was sat at a small table, setting her coffee down next to his. Lydia considered her options before following Isaac’s example and sitting on the other arm of the sofa. 

“Not really an issue.” Allison replied. “More of a question.” She glanced at Lydia and then to Danny. “I think at some point we’ve all heard the same phrase at some point in our lives. ‘Sex is what makes us human.’”   
  
The groans that passed through the group were pretty spectacular. Lydia could have sworn that Derek’s eyes rolled so hard that he could have given himself a headache. Stiles laughed, Isaac facepalmed, Scott looked one hundred percent done. It was nice to feel so united in their mutual hatred of that phrase.

Though it did leave a slight unsettling feeling in Lydia’s stomach. Allison has clearly been thinking about this all night, her mother's words must have upset her. 

“So i may or may not have spent a while thinking about it, admittedly because in the moment my response to that phrase wasn’t the best.”   
  
“I hate when that happens.” Stiles said. “It’s why i plan all my arguments weeks in advance so that i have all the best comebacks.”   
  
“You do have great comebacks.” Erica agreed.   
  
“Can we focus?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at the two of them before turning back to Allison.   
  
Allison smiled fondly at him before standing up and clapping her hands together. “So i was wondering, what  _ does  _ make us human? More specifically, what do you all think makes us human?” She pushed a hand through her hair, accidentally messing it up and making her look even more adorable than usual. “There’s no wrong answer-”   
  
“Except sex?” Malia interrupted.

“Well obviously.” Allison replied. “I just wanted to hear your thoughts.” She turned her back to them for a moment and pulling something out of her bag and holding it out to the group proudly. “You get a lollipop for your ideas. Bonus points for stories.”  
  
“Shit, Argent. You know how to win a girl over.” Erica laughed.

Allison turned scarlet and immediately looked back to Lydia. 

“Our ingenuity.” Danny said, drawing everyone’s attention towards him. He tapped his fingers against the table as he stared into his coffee. “Our ability to look at something and then have this… Need, to just take it apart, do different things to it, to take something as simple as a seed and turn it into this.” He gestured to his drink. “A drink with endless possibilities. I think that’s pretty amazing.”   


Lydia looked down at her own coffee, inhaling the rich scent and caught a few others doing the same until Allison nodded and pulled a lollipop from the bag and tossed it towards him.   
  
“Nice one. We’ll never look at coffee the same again. Who else?”   
  
“More to build on Danny’s point…” Derek began. “But I think our drive to understand the universe is definitely important?”   
  
“How so?” Kira asked.

“Well… People dedicate their lives to understanding things, animals, gravity, space, our DNA and nothing is absolute. With every theory we make, there’s another set of people who set out to prove those theories wrong. There was a time where the majority of people believed the Earth was flat or didn’t believe that the sun was the centre of our solar system.” 

“Did you know there's a whole site dedicated to people who still believe the earth is flat?” Isaac asked.

Derek rolled his eyes. “My point is, we have a desire to learn, to understand and make sense of all of this,” he gestured around him. “one way or another.”

“The universe is a very large and sometimes horrifying thing.” Allison agreed, handing him a lollipop.

“Creativity.” Kira said, hesitating as everyone looked over at her. Scott and Allison both smiled encouragingly at her, Scott taking her hand and turning up the heart eyes for good measure. 

“Creativity is a good one.” Erica said.

“I remember the first time my mom took me to an exhibit…” Kira began, she was already smiling from the memory. “It was this photography exhibit, nothing massively special, she told me that the pieces on display were contest winners, most of them weren't even professionals and yet they'd filled this gallery with artwork.”

“What was your favourite one?” Scott asked softly.

Kira's smile only grew. “It was a long exposure shot in a forest full of fireflies. They looked like streaks of light so bright I didn't believe my mom when she told me they were insects. They were just so magical. But if you looked really closely, you could make out the figure of a stag against the tree line.”

“That does sound pretty spectacular.” Danny said.

“It sounds magical.” Allison replied, eyes wide.

Kira smiled and looked down at her and Scott's hands. “When I saw that picture, I turned to my mom and said ‘I want to be a photographer’ she brought me a disposable camera every month and on my thirteenth birthday, I got my first real camera.”

Allison held out what looked to be a handful of lollipops. “That was beautiful.”

Kira took them, immediately giving one to Scott. 

“I agree that creativity is important.” Boyd spoke up. “But I think it's more about cooking.”

Erica looked amused. “What?”

“We’ve all seen ratatouille right?” Boyd asked, he received a chorus of agreements save for Malia, who mumbled a quiet no. 

“We’re watching that later.” Stiles said.

“Anyway you know that scene where Ego takes a bite of ratatouille? And he has that whole flashback to his childhood moment?”

Lydia nodded, even though Boyd wasn't even addressing her directly. She hadn't seen the movie for a long time, hopefully they would do what Stiles said and watch it later.

“I love that about food. That you can use it to unlock memories from the past, to signify special moments, the whole idea of people being brought together to share a meal like a barbecue or something… I love that. Food brings people together and it's an art form in itself.” Boyd said.

“You're adorable.” Cora muttered, leaning over to kiss his head.

“Seconded.” Erica added, snuggling into his side.

“I saw a documentary that said when we learned how to cook that was when we became truly human.” Someone said. 

Lydia twisted to find the source, noticing the rest of the group do the same. Lydia eventually locked eyes with a younger looking person with blue eyes and dark hair sat at a table with another person who looked to be the same age.

“What was that?” Allison asked, Lydia felt her stop at her side and regard the person carefully.

They shrugged. “No other species can do that. We always define the start of humanity with the discovery of fire and learned to cook with it.”

Lydia heard Boyd laugh and glanced at Allison, unsurprised to see her smiling.

“What's your name?” Allison asked. “And your pronouns?”

“And do you know the name of the documentary?” Boyd added.

They smirked, though Lydia could tell they seemed apprehensive. “Liam, he/him and it's called cooked. It's on Netflix.”

“Awesome thanks.” Boyd said, pulling out his phone to presumably make a note.

“Nice to meet you Liam.” Allison said. “Here, have a lollipop.” She tossed one towards him.

Liam scrambled to catch it without falling from his chair. “Thank you.” 

Allison smiled at him again. She looked like she wanted to say something else but changed her mind at the last moment.

“I like our compassion.” Scott said. “To other people and to animals. I always thought it was really cool that people would dedicate their lives to making people better, to helping animals just because it was the right thing to do.” He smiled fondly. “Every time my mom puts on that uniform I know I'm lucky to have her as my hero.”

“Jesus Christ Scott do you want to make me cry?” Allison asked, throwing lollipops at him.

“Sorry!” He replied.

“I agree with Derek that our need to learn is a key part to our humanity.” Stiles said. “We’ve been to the moon, how can someone look at all we’ve done, all we’ve achieved, and say that fucking is what defines us?” 

“Did you notice that whenever we point out that other species have sex they're quick to defend with ‘oh but  _ we  _ have love’?” Isaac asked.

“Oh my god yes!” Allison replied. “Like have they met Dolphins? Or whales?”

“Dolphins are assholes.” Stiles said. 

“What did Dolphins ever do to you?” Erica gasped.

“Dolphins are assholes Erica, I have a whole essay on it.”

“Oh my god please do me a favour and send it me later.”

“I used to think it was speech that made us special.” Malia said, cutting Stiles and Erica off. “We have so many words, we have phrases and metaphors and all this complicated stuff. But then Stiles showed me a whale documentary and it turns out that their language is just as complex as ours if not more.”

“Once again sea based mammals have won.” Stiles said solemnly.

“But we have poetry.” Isaac said. “And music. We combine instruments to make melodies that can move people to tears and resonate with so many people. We all have that one song or one poem that makes us cry.”

“Hips don't lie by Shakira.” Erica nodded.

“Be serious.” Cora laughed, reaching over to slap Erica’s arm gently.

“He's right.” Scott agreed.

Lydia felt a little out of her depth as she watched the group talk. For as long as she had known them all, it was rare she had seen them like this, talking so intensely and yet with such ease, as though they often talk deep philosophy every day. 

And Lydia wants to contribute, she wants to be able to sit with her friends and not feel like an observer. She knows it’ll happen eventually, hopefully. That one day she’ll be able to relax with them all and not try to think about every possibility in which she could embarrass herself. 

She watched as Allison handed a lollipop to Isaac and Malia and tried to think of what everybody else had said, she agreed with all of them, it was impossible to choose just one thing that defined them as humans which was probably why Allison even asked the question in the first place. She wanted to know what everyone thought.

Lydia wondered what Allison thought was important to their humanity.

But her own opinion?

“Hope.” Lydia said 

At first she thought she had said it too quietly, but barely a moment passed before everyone stopped talking to look at her.    
  
“Hope?” Allison repeated, pushing away from Isaac to walk closer.

Lydia wished she’d thought ahead about what she meant. 

“Uh, yeah. It’s that thing that keeps us going isn’t it? Hope for a better job, good weather, a better future... “ She rubbed the back of her neck. “The story of Pandora's box is the best example, that when you open it all the bad stuff comes out and you can’t close it again but when everything is over and the worst has happened there’s still one thing left in that box. Hope.”    
  
Allison blinked, a smile tugging at her lips as she continued to hold Lydia’s gaze. Lydia cleared her throat and tried to focus only on her.

“And i think that’s what we do, as humans.” Lydia continued. “So many stories we tell revolve around hoping for a happy ending and for the good guy to win. We’re a species that dares to hope.”    
  
“Dares to hope.” Allison repeated. She smiled and looked away from Lydia, staring out of the window. “Dare to hope. I like that.” She turned back to Lydia. “I like that a lot.”   
  
“You do?” Lydia asked.    
  
Allison knelt in front of her and held out a lollipop, Lydia couldn’t tell if it was by chance that she was holding out her favourite flavour.   
  
“Yeah Lyds, I do.” Allison replied, her voice was so soft and reassuring. “Hope is an important thing to have.”

Lydia didn't know how to tell them that she hoped that she had a place in their futures or that when she had first met them all that she hoped that they would want to be friends with her or how she hoped Allison's love for her would never fade.

But judging by the expressions on all of their faces, maybe she didn't have to.

“Is it just me or does this look like the sweetest proposal ever?” Erica asked.

Lydia took the lollipop as she glared at Erica whilst also trying not to imagine a scenario in which Allison actually did propose to her, even though she knew her mind would betray her and she would absolutely end up dreaming about that at one point.    
  
“Be quiet Erica.” Allison laughed. 

“Allison, it’s half past.” Derek said.

Allison looked at him over her shoulder and then across at the clock on the wall. “Shit, already?” She got to her feet reluctantly.

“Do you have to work?” Lydia asked.    
  
Allison took her hand and smiled. “Not exactly, but we do need to go to the hospital. We’ll be back in a couple of hours though right?” She looked over to Derek, who shrugged. “Yeah definitely a couple of hours.”   
  
“Speaking of, i should probably go get ready for my shift.” Cora said, looking towards the counter but making no other attempt to move. 

“I’ll call you.” Allison said. “Do you want to go on a date?”   
  
“I’d love to.” Lydia smiled. “What did you have in mind?”   
  
“It’s my turn to pay, so you choose.” Allison replied. 

“I’ll text you?”

“Deal. Can i kiss you?”   
  
“Yes please.” Lydia replied, smiling into the kiss Allison gave her.    
  
“Bye.” Allison whispered. “I’ll miss you.”   
  
“I’ll miss you too.”

Lydia watched Allison and Derek leave arm in arm before she settled back into her seat, twirling the lollipop in her hand.

“They’re throwing a party for Derek.” Scott explained. “It was supposed to be a surprise but one of the kids told him.”   
  
“That’s so adorable.” Kira sighed. 

“That reminds me, are we buying Derek gifts or not?” Stiles asked.

“I’m making him a small photo album.” Kira said. 

“And i’m giving him a painting.” Lydia added.    
  
“Derek wouldn’t expect gifts anyway so you don’t have to bring anything.” Cora said. “The most you should do is bring food or drink to the barbecue but that’s like… Basic barbecue etiquette.”

Lydia had thought about what she could bring, she honestly wasn’t really sure what to bring as she didn’t think paella was fitting for a barbecue.   
  
Not to mention she had no idea how many people to expect. The Hale family is pretty huge and she’s also pretty sure that everyone else is bringing their families (she knew that Danny’s little brother and sister were definitely coming) 

“What kind of food should we bring?” Lydia asked. Because honestly, if she didn’t ask she wouldn’t know.

For as much as she played the ditzy airhead before she came back to Beacon Hills, she made sure she went into every social situation knowing everything, how to dress, what to say, what to order (how much to order) and could pinpoint every moment one of her friends would say a disparaging remark.

She’d been to barbecues in the past, but never one with so many people and the food was always provided (rich fathers always loved to show their worth in expensive grills and meat)   


This wasn’t going to be like that and Lydia loved it.    
  
Cora shrugged. “Anything you want to be honest. Dad wants to cook a pig as like the main attraction.” She says it while making jazz hands, it’s pretty amazing. “But i think he’ll also do like burgers and stuff.”   
  
“When it comes to barbecues with a lot of guests it’s hard to cater to everyone's likes and dislikes, so if people bring something it takes some of the pressure off of the hosts and gives the guests more options, you know?” Stiles replied. 

“Just think side dishes more than the typical meat stuff.” Danny said. “Or desserts.”   
  
“Yeah, with all the kids and adults we will have to be responsible, so no drinking. Though if we stick around long enough who knows.” Cora added. She looked towards the counter as someone called her name. “I really should get going.”   
  
She didn’t move.   
  
“How do you still have this job?” Erica asked, rolling her eyes when Cora shrugged. She turned back to Lydia. “Have you ever been to a barbecue before?”   
  
“A couple of times…” Lydia replied. “But they were very… Rich suburban white dad.”   
  
“I can already visualise the flip flops and the pink sweater tied around his neck.” Malia shuddered.    
  
Lydia didn’t know how to tell them that was exactly what he had been wearing.

“Well, there isn’t a barbecue quite like a Hale barbecue. You’ll love it.” Isaac said.    
  
Lydia smiled at him. “I know i will.”   
  
“Is this going to be one of those moments where you tell us it’s because you’re going to be surrounded by friends?” Erica asked.   
  
“Maybe.” Lydia replied. Because honestly, she hasn’t told them nearly enough how thankful she was to have them.   
  
Or at all, for that matter.   
  
Erica faked being sick. “Gross.” She said. Lydia shook her head and laughed, it was a typical Erica reaction.

“Okay the boss looks mad i should go.” Cora hopped to her feet. “I’ll call you nerds later.” She kissed Boyd and Erica quickly.    
  
“Yeah I better go too, i’m meeting Ethan.” Danny said.

“We’re babysitting Boyd’s sister.” Erica added, dragging Boyd to his feet.   
  
“Lydia, wanna go to the mall?” Isaac asked.    
  
“Sure.”    
  
“What about you guys?” Isaac turned to Scott, Kira, Malia and Stiles.   
  
“Sounds fun.”

Everybody rose to their feet and began to gather their stuff, Lydia moved to place her lollipop into her bag and was struck with a sudden realisation.   
  
“Allison never told us what she thought made us human.” She said.   
  
Stiles raised an eyebrow. “We’ll have to ask her later.”   
  
He had a point. Lydia had to make a note about it, she did really want to know the answer.    
  
As everybody said their goodbyes, Lydia couldn’t help but grin when Erica hugged her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

  
  


“I quit my job.” Allison said.

When Allison had picked her up, Lydia didn’t have much of an idea of what they should do so they’d just gotten into Allison’s car and driven until they’d found a field of wildflowers about ten miles out of Beacon Hills and after lots of running around and kissing, they’d laid down beside each other in the field and fallen into a peaceful silence together. Allison’s words effectively broke that silence.

Lydia lifted her head to look at her. “What?”   
  
“Me and Melissa were talking during Derek’s party. We both agreed that it would be for the best if i didn’t stay on when Derek leaves.” Allison explained, cracking open one eye to look at Lydia.

Lydia leaned up on her elbows to look at Allison more clearly. “But you loved it there.”   


She’d be lying if she didn’t think it was a good thing though. Allison tried to split her time between so many things and Lydia knew she didn’t sleep much and with senior year and everything it would just be too much. Everyone had been saying as much all summer. 

“I do.” Allison agreed, opening her other eye. “But i… As much as i love it, it’s kind of draining, physically and emotionally. Without Derek there i don’t know if i can really handle it. Besides, i don’t think there would be enough time in the week to support that as well as studying, doing stuff for the group and training… I’d be driving myself into the ground.” Allison explained. “Also… Well what kind of girlfriend, friend and daughter would i be if i spent all my time doing other stuff?”   
  
Guilt flared in Lydia’s stomach even though she knew it was misplaced. “Allison, you don’t have to quit for our sake, you know we all love and support you no matter what.” Lydia said. Even though Allison had already listed plenty of reasons why she had quit, Lydia couldn't help but lock onto that last statement, the smallest chance that maybe she had guilted Allison into quitting. That it was her fault, that-   
  
Allison sat up enough to catch Lydia’s wrist, fingers trailing down until she could lace their fingers together. Her expression was serious but that ever present tenderness was still firmly in place.   
  
“Lydia, it’s not your fault, or anyone's. I promise.” Allison assured her. Lydia immediately felt herself relax. “You all told me that i was pushing myself and you’re right. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and i need to understand that it’s okay to quit, especially if it’s for my own well being and happiness in the long run.”   
  
Lyda looked down at their hands. Allison did have the attitude of putting herself above all others, it had never been a secret but it was a reassuring sign to see her willing to take a step back for her own health.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Allison asked.

Lydia snapped her gaze up to meet Allison’s, she realised that Allison looked apprehensive. 

“Of course not!” Lydia replied, reaching for Allison’s other hand. “I’m not mad, i was… I actually felt guilty? Like it was my fault you quit.”   
  
Allison tugged on Lydia’s arm until they were pressed close. It was way too hot to be essentially cuddling under the sun like this but Lydia welcomed the contact regardless.    
  
“You don’t have to feel guilty, it’s not your fault. It’s nobodies fault.”   
  
“I feel guilty a lot.” Lydia said, surprised at her own forwardness. “I don’t think I've ever told anyone that before.”   
  
Allison nodded and smiled softly. “Okay.” She replied. “We’ll work through it okay? I’ll be here to remind you that it’s okay.”   
  
Even though Lydia had seen some of the darker sides of Allison, she had to wonder if the girl was able to put anything other than love and acceptance out into the world.

“You help me calm down, you know that right?” Allison asked. She wasn’t looking at Lydia now, Lydia followed her gaze to a butterfly on a flower although she doubted Allison was paying it much attention. “I mean everybody else does too, most of the time, in their own way. But it feels different with you.”   


Allison continued to stare ahead, her hand hanging limply from Lydia’s, even if Lydia knew what words to say, she didn’t think she could, she knew that Allison hadn’t finished yet. She owed it to her to let her finish voicing her thoughts.

“You help make me want to be a better person, Lydia. And for that i thank you.” When Allison finally turned her head to face her, Lydia was shocked to see tears in Allison’s eyes.

“Allison-”   
  
“They’re happy tears, i promise.” Allison ducked her head to wipe at them. “You just… I’m glad you came back. I’m glad you’re here with me.”   
  
“I’m glad i’m here too.” Lydia replied and Jesus, this was supposed to be a cute date and now there she was, sat in a field as she tried to tell her girlfriend how much she loves her. “Though you kind of took the words out of my mouth.”   
  
Allison looked confused at that and Lydia had to smile as she reached forward to wipe a stray tear from Allison’s face.   
  
“You make  _ me _ want to be a better person. Ever since that first day back at the hospital. I… Can’t even begin to explain how much you matter to me.” One day maybe though.

“You don’t have to explain.” Allison said, catching Lydia’s hand again and bringing her lips to her fingertips. “I understand.”   
  
It wouldn’t surprise Lydia if she did.

“Do you want to go get ice cream?” Lydia asked. “And then… I don’t know. Whatever you want.”   
  
Allison laughed brightly. “Absolutely.”  
  


* * *

 

  
“Thanks for helping me out today Lydia.” Isaac said. The gratitude in their voice was hard to miss. “I really wanted to figure out how to get these cookies right and Scott and Kira are too… Well, any cookie is a good cookie as far as they’re concerned.”   
  
Lydia tried not to laugh as she cracked the eggs. “Unless the cookies have raisins in.”   
  
“Even then…” Isaac murmured.   
  
“I’m glad to help.” Lydia replied. “It’s a chance to learn more about baking, but why not Boyd? He actually knows what he’s doing.”   
  
“Boyd helped me with the recipe, but i need to figure out the rest on my own, you know?”   
  
Lydia nodded her agreement. “I didn’t even know you liked to bake.” She said honestly.   
  
“Baking in the middle of the summer generally isn’t the best idea.” Isaac laughed. 

They had every window open in the house and it was  _ still  _ too hot, so Lydia couldn’t disagree there.    
  
“Sometimes i get these panic attacks, they’re worse than the others i get because they just last longer.” Isaac explained as they began to mix all of the ingredients together. “When Melissa first adopted me, she didn’t really know what to do, Scott did what he could to help me too but eventually we figured out baking helped. It just… It distracts me. It’s hard to listen to the thoughts that make me panic when i’m trying to remember ingredients and timing.”   
  
Lydia handed them the rolling pin and leaned against the counter to watch.   
  
“And having something to show for it at the end, something i could give to people and see that it made them happy... “ Isaac smiled to themselves. “Knowing that i took those bad feelings and made something good with them, it helps.”   
  
“I feel the same way about art.” Lydia replied. “Only recently though.”

She never would have dared to give the people from LA anything that she made, the sheer thought of it was enough to make her feel uneasy. It didn’t help that that unease transferred to whenever she shared the things she drew or painted with her friends out of fear of them not liking it.   
  
It makes her feel bad because she knows her friends and that they wouldn’t do that to her and that she should give them more credit, but on the other hand she’s aware that she can’t help the way she thinks. It’s a work in progress. 

“It’s nice to make things and give them to people.” Isaac said. “It’s also nice to receive things like that, i don’t really know why.”   
  
“It’s thoughtfulness.” Lydia supplied, handing them a cookie cutter. “Knowing that this person thought about you and went out of their way to give you something special. It’s probably the subtlest way to declare your love for someone, platonically or not.”   
  
“Do you give Allison drawings?” Isaac asked.   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
They smiled at Lydia. “Sometimes it’s easier to show it than to say it.”    
  
Lydia nodded and Isaac reached over to give her shoulder a squeeze. “Believe me, we know you love her, that you love all of us. And we love you. A lot.” Isaac said. “It doesn’t need to be said, take it from someone who can’t speak on their bad days.” They added with a shrug as they began to cut the cookies from the dough.    
  
Lydia wasn’t sure what kind of vibe she was putting out, but over the past couple of days she’d noticed these type of conversations happen a lot. First with Erica’s spontaneous hug and hair ruffle, then with Allison later on that same day…   
  
Several of the others had said something similar, drawing attention to their friendship and love, even in the smallest of ways (Stiles proudly declaring he’d come back for them all during the zombie apocalypse)   
  
Maybe it was as simple as everybody being unable to ignore Derek’s imminent departure, maybe they’d always been like it and Lydia was only just noticing because now she knows the group well enough to read between the lines of their conversations.   
  
Either way, Lydia was happy.    


She appreciated that they could all say so much with so little.    
  
“Do you want to be a baker?” Lydia asked.    
  
Isaac’s lips quirked into a smile. “Not quite.” They set the last of the cookies onto the tray and gestured for Lydia to open the oven, as she did so the sudden heat made them both groan. “I want to open a cafe.”   
  
“A cafe?”   
  
“An LGBT+ cafe. Somewhere quiet and safe to be with like minded people.” They closed the oven and let out a sigh of relief. “Other than clubs like the one we have at school, safe spaces are pretty limited and honestly… The only places you’re likely to meet other people in our community are at pride or a club and clubs are out of the option for younger people so…”   
  
“A cafe.” Lydia finished.   
  
“A cafe.” Isaac repeated. “The cookies can be decorated with different pride flags and there’s plenty of chances for puns.”   
  
“You’ve already thought this through haven’t you?”   
  
“Kind of. Who knows, maybe it’s just a pipe dream but…” They shrugged. “It’s my pipe dream.”

“It sounds like a wonderful idea, Isaac.”   
  
“What do you want to do?” They asked.

Lydia sighed. “I don’t know.” She rubbed the back of her neck, for some reason Isaac seemed to find the gesture amusing. “I always wanted to win a fields medal.”   
  
“Is that a science thing?”   
  
“Math.” Lydia corrected. “I just always wanted to win one, but now i’m not sure, i’m really getting into art again but i don’t… I don’t know.”   
  
“You know you can do both.” Isaac said. “You’re more than good enough to do both.”   
  
“Maybe.”   
  
“No, you  _ are  _ good enough.” Isaac said, firmer this time, their arm moving around Lydia’s neck. “You can do anything you want to do.”   
  
Lydia smiled and dropped her head onto Isaac’s shoulder. “We’ll see. It’s not like I have to make my mind up right now, right?”   
  
“Exactly.”    
  
Lydia let herself relax into Isaac’s side hug, the moment was short lived however, as the front door opened and Lydia could hear Scott’s gasp from where she was stood.    
  
“Are you baking cookies?!” Came the subsequent yell.   


“Someone’s back from Derek’s.” Isaac said.    
  
Scott appeared in the doorway a moment later. “Hey Lydia, I was wondering where you were.”   
  
“I wanted to learn to bake cookies.” Lydia replied. “How’s Allison?”   
  
The fact that they all wanted to play lacrosse in Derek’s backyard in this heat was concerning, though she and Isaac were in an increasingly hot kitchen baking cookies so she couldn’t really argue.  
  
“She’s good, nice work on her arm by the way.”   
  
“Her arm?” Isaac frowned.   
  
“She let me draw on her arm while i was at her place last night.” Lydia said. “I may have grabbed the paints and covered her arm in flowers?”   
  
“It looks good.” Scott nodded enthusiastically. “You should add tattoo artist to a list of potential careers.”   
  
“Duly noted.” Lydia replied.    
  
“Anyway, do you two wanna go out for dinner? Everyone else has gone home to shower but they’re all for it.”   
  
Lydia and Isaac shared a look before nodding.   
  
“Sure, as soon as the cookies are done, we’ll be ready.” Isaac said.

“Are they for the barbecue?” Scott asked, looking hopeful.   
  
“No, they’re a practice batch. But they are what i’m taking.”   
  
“Does this mean-”   
  
“You can eat some.” Isaac sighed.   
  
“Yes!” Scott high fived Lydia before she could comprehend him doing it. “Best day ever.”

He darted out of the room to run upstairs and a moment later they heard the shower turn on. Isaac sighed fondly.   
  
Lydia wouldn’t change a thing.

  
  
  


“Bread sticks are a beautiful thing.” Stiles sighed fondly as they all made their way to the cars.

“Yeah, it’s a shame they caught you trying to stuff them into Isaac’s bag.” Malia replied.   
  
“And i would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids.” 

Allison laughed loudly and hid her face in Lydia’s hair to try and make it quieter, Lydia reached up to hold her hand where it was dangling over her shoulder.    
  
“You mean the waitress?” Danny asked.   
  
“Details.” Stiles waved a hand. “That was good food. We should eat there more often.”   
  
“We’re a group of mostly unemployed students Stiles.” Erica said. “Sorry kiddo but we’re going to have to keep living on diner food.”   
  
Stiles shrugged and pulled his keys from his pocket. “Fine by me, i do love those grilled cheeses.”   
  
They all came to a stop in the middle of the parking lot, there was still the last traces of light in the sky as well as the first glimpses of stars trying to make themselves known. It was warm enough that nobody needed a jacket and everyone had a content smile on their face.    
  
“We should take a picture.” Kira said.   
  
The moment certainly felt perfect enough.   
  
They’d taken group pictures before, but usually by stopping someone else and asking them to take it. Taking a group selfie turned out to be a whole new level of complicated.

“How did Ellen do this?” Kira whispered to herself as she tried to nudge everyone in place.  
  
She eventually managed to get everybody crammed together in a way that let them all be in the same shot. Lydia ended up pressed between Allison and Isaac, Allison with both arms wrapped around her and pulling her closer, Isaac also had an arm around her. She was aware of Derek being directly behind Allison and the rest of the group on her other side.   
  
Right before Kira took the picture, Lydia felt Allison rest her head on her own.

“Smile everyone!”   
  
Lydia was sure she heard a quiet: “You’re not the boss of me.” from Erica followed by the unmistakable sound of someone elbowing her. 

As everyone pulled away from each other, Allison didn’t stray more than a few inches from Lydia as they all watched Kira, waiting for her approval.   
  
“I took like ten.” Kira admitted as she scrolled through her phone. She smiled brightly. “Perfect.” She looked up and beamed at the group. “I’ll send it you all later.”   
  
“That better be a promise, Yukimura.” Malia said.   
  
“Scouts honour.”   
  
“You were never a scout.” Allison reminded her.   
  
Kira shrugged and the group continued to stare at each other.    
  
“So, are we going home? Or huge sleepover?” Stiles asked.   
  
“We should probably save the sleepover for Wednesday.” Derek replied.    
  
Lydia saw Allison’s smile falter the smallest amount at the mention of the day and squeezed her hand. The fact that Derek left on Thursday morning was still a lot for them all to take in.

“Sounds good.” Ethan said. 

“So, call you all tomorrow?” Isaac asked.    
  
“You know it.” Stiles replied, bumping his fist against Isaac’s.    
  
It took another five minutes and more hugs than Lydia could handle before it was just her and Allison in Allison’s car, driving back to Lydia’s house while Allison sang softly under her breath to the music.

It was strange, Lydia hadn’t seen Allison sing alone very often and it made the drive feel natural and domestic, like they'd been doing this for so long, that Allison was comfortable enough to let down her guard and sing around her. 

As the song finished, Allison hummed to herself and turned the music down even lower.    
  
“I’m going to miss him a lot.” 

“Me too.” Lydia replied. “Not as much as you but- yeah.”   
  
“It’ll be okay though.” Allison said. “Derek being in New York doesn’t change a thing other than we won’t see him as much.”   
  
“It takes more than distance to break a friendship, huh?” Lydia asked.

Allison tilted her head towards Lydia to give her a knowing smile. “That’s right.”  
  
  


When they reached Lydia’s house, Allison insisted on walking Lydia to her door, which quickly turned into making out with Allison on her porch, something Lydia would be very happy to let happen for several hours please and thank you.

She especially liked the way that Allison would keep her arms around her waist even though Lydia had her back to the door, her touch was always grounding.

“I should probably go.” Allison murmured between kisses to Lydia’s jaw.

“In a minute?” Lydia replied, digging her fingers into Allison’s hair.

Allison laughed and Lydia could feel the vibration of it against her skin, she really shouldn’t love it as much as she did.

“Sure Lyds, in a minute.” Allison said, trailing kisses back to Lydia’s lips.

It was that moment her mother decided to open the door and if Allison hadn’t had her arms wrapped around her waist, Lydia would have fallen through.

“Oh sh- I’m sorry. I thought i heard someone out here.” Her mother said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

Lydia cleared her throat and tried to fix her hair so that she looked slightly more presentable. “It’s fine.”   
  
“I’m sorry for disturbing you Ms Martin.” Allison replied politely. She took a step away from Lydia and smiled warmly. “I’ll text you later.”   
  
“Drive safe.”   
  
Allison squeezed her hand. “Have a good night.” She nodded at Lydia’s mother. “You too Ms Martin.”   
  
“Oh, thank you. You too.”   
  
Lydia stood beside her mother as they watched Allison go back to her car and drive off with a wave. Her mother seemed to still be taken aback by Allison’s politeness.

“Did you have a good night?” She asked once she recovered.

“Yeah, dinner with the group.” Lydia replied, slipping past her and into the house. “Derek leaves in  a few days.”   
  
“Oh, that must be rough.”   
  
Lydia hummed her agreement and stepped out of her heels.    
  
Being at home was strange. Her mother wasn’t as quick to jump to the defence anymore and actually seemed to be making… Effort? It wasn’t much, she’d ask where Lydia had been and would seem interested but it was clear that she didn’t know what else to say or do.

But Lydia wouldn’t turn her back on progress, no matter how small. She didn’t feel on edge every time she was home and that was nothing but a good thing.

Lydia grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and as she made her way to go up to her room she saw her mom standing awkwardly in the doorway to the living room.

“Goodnight mom.”   
  
“Goodnight Lydia.”   
  


* * *

  
  


Lydia stepped out of the elevator, bag full of ice cream and candy. 

When she’d woken up with a text from Allison (with a incredibly early time stamp) suggesting they hang out at her place, Lydia had figured that Allison hadn’t slept well again and with the barbecue looming ever closer, Lydia wanted to make sure she did whatever she could to give Allison happiness. 

Ice cream and candy were just the beginning, to be honest. 

She didn’t expect to bump into Chris as he was leaving the apartment.

“Lydia! Good morning, Allison said you were coming.”   
  
Lydia smiled. “Here i am.”    
  
He smiled back and opened the door for her. “I’m just going grocery shopping.” He glanced down at Lydia’s bag. “Maybe i’ll leave the ice cream off of the list.”   
  
“Oh i don’t think this tub will last long.” Lydia replied.    
  
Chris sighed. “I’m more than inclined to agree with you. I’ll see you both later.”   
  
Lydia waved him off and headed into the apartment, stopping to put the ice cream in the freezer. “Alli? It’s me!”   
  
“Shit, Lyds? Hang on.”    
  
“What’s wrong? I brought ice cream and- oh my god.” Lydia stopped as she entered Allison’s room. 

The curtains were still drawn to keep the room dark, Allison had clearly moved some things around because in the middle of her room now sat a blanket fort, Allison was kneeling at the entrance, apparently in the process of getting out to meet Lydia.

“Hey.” Allison greeted.   
  
“Hey,” Lydia replied, kneeling in front of her. “You built a fort.” She couldn’t help the feeling of nostalgia building in her chest, especially not when Allison gave a small shrug and ducked her head.

“You mentioned a lot how some of your favourite memories of us as kids were being in the blanket forts and i was feeling… I was looking through my box of stuff from when i was a kid, all the drawings you gave me and pictures and all that stuff and i found videos from when i was a kid.” She settled back onto her ankles. “Do you remember how my mom always had that video camera?” she asked softly.

Lydia did, Victoria may not have been forthright with her emotions, but she was always there to capture moments of Allison’s childhood.

“Yeah.” Lydia replied, she brushed some hair from Allison’s face. “Do you want to keep watching them?” When Allison nodded Lydia shifted to take her shoes off. “I put the ice cream in the freezer and i have candy.” She added.

“You’re amazing.” Allison said.  
  
The two of them made themselves comfortable in the fort, both lying on their stomachs with Allison’s laptop propped in front of them. As comfortable as the fort was, there also wasn’t much room so Lydia was pressed against Allison’s side, their arms linked and fingers tangled together with their snacks spread around them.

“This was my seventh birthday.” Allison said as she hit play.   
  
Lydia smiled and rested her head against Allison’s shoulder, her birthday had been only a few weeks after they’d met and they’d already become inseparable.  
  
  


They followed a similar routine for a while, occasionally pausing to talk about other memories or to kiss. Lydia was surprised at how many of the videos she was in, even if just for a few moments.    
  
It’s surreal to see what they were like as kids, always side by side, talking or playing, even when there were other kids there (she almost forgot what Stiles looked like with that buzzcut)

“This one’s dated like a month before you moved.” Allison said, squinting to make out the smudged date on the disc.   
  
Lydia hesitated, that meant that it would be the last video with her in it, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to watch the ones after she left, to see what Allison was like without her, without her mom.

Did Chris keep recording once Victoria died? The lack of discs by Allison don’t seem to be in favour of a yes.

The video was out of focus for several moments and when it finally did focus, Lydia realised that it was the kitchen of Allison’s old house, a confused looking Chris walking into the room and looking at the camera and then up to Victoria.

_ “What are you doing?” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Look.”  _ Victoria said, the camera turning to the window leading to the backyard. Lydia glanced sideways at Allison, her gaze was so fixed on the laptop that she didn’t notice. 

The camera focused and suddenly Lydia could see herself and Allison playing. Lydia was wearing a pink dress and what looked like a paper crown, Allison was in bright orange shorts and a white shirt brandishing a stick like a sword.

_ “What are they doing?”  _ Chris laughed.

_ “Princess and knight. I heard them talking about it during lunch.”  _ Victoria explained, her hand came into view as she opened the window, resulting in Allison and Lydia suddenly hearing their ten year old selves laughing as they ran around the garden.

_ “I’ll protect you your majesty!”  _ Allison exclaimed, trying to sound serious but dissolving into giggles. She swung at something above her head.

They watched as Allison fell over and heard the subsequent sighs from Victoria and Chris as Lydia helped her to her feet.

_ “Thank you for slaying the mighty beast oh brave knight!”  _ Lydia exclaimed.    
  
_ “They really love each other don’t they?”  _ Chris asked.

_ “They do.”  _ Victoria replied.

Lydia felt her breath get caught in her throat. 

_ “Wait!”  _ Lydia grabbed Allison’s hand.  _ “The princess has to give the knight a prize for saving her!” _ _   
_ _   
_ Allison looked confused.  _ “Why? Saving the princess is the right thing to do? I shouldn’t get a prize for doing the right thing.” _ _   
_ _   
_ They heard Victoria laugh, in the years Lydia had known the woman, she couldn’t remember ever hearing her laugh before. Even Allison seemed to straighten beside her as they watched.

_ “At least we taught her good morals.”  _ Chris said.

_ “That we did.”  _ Victoria replied.

_ “What about a kiss?”  _ Lydia asked.

_ “A kiss?”  _   
  
_ “As a thank you, for saving me.”  _ Lydia replied with a shrug.

Allison seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding.  _ “Okay.” _ _   
_ _   
_ Lydia watched as her ten year old self kissed ten year old Allison on the cheek.   
  
_ “Oh.”  _ Chris said.

There was another soft laugh from Victoria.    
  
_ “It’s going to crush her when Lydia leaves.”  _ Chris sighed.

_ “They’ll be okay. They’re inseparable Chris, distance won’t change that.” _ _   
_ _   
_ The camera moved so that Chris was back in focus, it was clear that he was thinking over Victoria’s words.  _ “Maybe.”  _ He replied eventually.  _ “I hope so. It’s not often you get friendships like that.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “I know, i mean look at us.” _ _   
_ _   
_ Chris laughed.  _ “You’re right. As always.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Don’t you forget it.” _ _   
_ _   
_ The video ended then, leaving Allison and Lydia in silence.

Why couldn’t Lydia remember that day? How could she forget that she kissed Allison?   
  
“They knew you were leaving.” Allison said softly. “Even we didn’t know.”   
  
“I kissed you… When we were ten.”   
  
All this time… It left Lydia wondering what would have been different if she hadn’t left. Would they have become something more sooner? 

“Yeah.” 

Lydia looked over at Allison, she was still looking at her laptop screen but she didn't look surprised at all.

“You remembered it didn't you?” Lydia asked.

Allison nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you didn't want to mention it in case I didn't remember?”

“Pretty much.” Allison agreed, she shifted to lie on her side so that she could face Lydia. “I may not have known it when I was a kid, but apparently my parents could see it.”

Lydia mimicked Allison and rolled onto her side, letting Allison drape an arm over her waist. 

“It's comforting.” Allison said. “To hear my mom's voice, to know that she would have approved of us, not that I really doubted that but…”

“It's nice to have the confirmation.” Lydia finished.

“Exactly.” Allison buried her face into Lydia's neck. “She’d be proud of us.”

“She'd be proud of you.” Lydia corrected.

Allison shook her head gently. “No, us. She'd be proud of you too.”

_ Us.   
_   
One word and Lydia waned to cherish it forever.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's nearly over tbh  
> Last chapter will most likely be on Thursday  
> What do you think makes us human?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is the end, can you?

 

“Texting already?”

Lydia looked up from her phone to see her mother, Lydia smiled and set her phone down next to her mug. “Reading.” She replied.

She _had_ been texting Allison and Danny, but Allison had gone for her morning run and Danny had gone to shower so Lydia had gone back to looking for ideas of what to bring to the barbecue tomorrow.

“Anything interesting?”  
  
“Just some recipes.” Lydia shrugged. “Nothing special.”   
  
She was pretty sure that she was going to go with mac and cheese for her dish to bring. Lydia just hoped that she was the only one to do that, it'd be interesting to say the least if everybody brought the same side dish.

“Do you have any plans today?” Her mother asked.

Lydia checked her phone and threw a grape into her mouth. “Going over to Derek's later, he leaves for college the day after tomorrow so it's important to everyone for us to spend time together.” Lydia hesitated for a moment. “You?”

Her mother looked away and sipped her coffee. “Not particularly.”

Lydia wondered why she hadn’t been hanging out with her friends, she dared to be hopeful that her mom had seen the truth and had ditched them.

Still, Lydia couldn't help but feel bad, her mother seemed lonely and Lydia knew too well what it felt like to be alone.

That wasn't a feeling that Lydia would wish on anybody.

The door knocked and it was early enough in the morning that the sudden sound had both Lydia and her mom looking towards the source with matching expressions of confusion.

“I'll get it.” Lydia said, sliding from her seat and setting her mug down after one more sip.  


When she opened the door she was surprised to see Allison standing there, hands on her knees and doubled over, looking like she had just finished sprinting.

She was sweaty and still dressed in her workout gear- a tank top and sweatpants, which okay, holy shit.

It's not even the first time she's seen Allison in her workout clothes and yet for a good ten seconds Lydia couldn’t remember how to breathe (it's just not fair how someone can have _that_ many muscles)

And then she realised that Allison's right arm was smeared with blood and panic immediately set in.

“Alli! What happened?”

Allison straightened up, holding out her hands in a gesture that was clearly supposed to reassure her but failed horrible when Lydia saw blood stained on her hands, Allison seemed to notice this too and grimaced.

“I got caught on a fence, long story. It's really not as bad as it looks.” Allison dropped her hands. “It's honestly just a scratch, I just wanted to see if you had a bandaid.”

Lydia immediately reached for Allison's wrist and pulled her over the threshold.

“Of course, come on Alli.” Lydia paused long enough for Allison to close the door behind her. “I'm glad you came instead of just leaving it.”

“I did try to leave it…” Allison admitted. “It didn't stop bleeding and it was getting everywhere.”

Despite the anxiety from seeing her girlfriend covered in blood, Lydia couldn't help a smile, it felt like such an Allison thing to do. Only doing something about an injury because it's an inconvenience to keep ignoring it.

“The first aid kit is in the bathroom.” Lydia said, hesitating and the bottom of the stairs.

“I don't want to get blood everywhere.” Allison replied, tugging her hand out of Lydia's. “I can wait here if you want.”

Lydia glanced towards the kitchen knowing that her mother was there. Still, Allison had a point and Lydia didn't really want to waste time trying to convince her otherwise.

“Okay, I'll be back in a minute.”

Lydia tried to be as fast as she could, darting upstairs and into the bathroom and grabbing the kit from under the sink.

When she returned, Allison was no longer in the hallway and was instead sat in the seat she had formerly occupied in the kitchen, looking surprisingly calm about bleeding and being sat in a room with Lydia's mom.

Honestly, her mother looked more unsettled than Allison did.

“Does it hurt?” Lydia asked, she moved her coffee to the side and set the first aid kit down.  
  
Allison’s smile was bright as she looked up at Lydia. “Not really, it stings a little though.”

“How did it happen?”

Lydia dug out the antiseptic wipes to start cleaning the blood from Allison's shoulder, Allison was right that it wasn't _as_ bad as it looked, but the scratch still looked pretty nasty.

“Typical clumsiness?” Allison replied. “I was trying to take a shortcut to get onto my usual route and I just…” She waved her hand around. “Yeah.”

Lydia snorted and threw the wipe into the trash and leaned forward to press her forehead to the side of Allison's head.

“You dork.” Lydia replied.

“I'd hug you but… Can I get one of those wipes for my hands?” Allison asked.

Lydia pulled away to hand her one whilst grabbing a band aid with her other hand. She fastened it in place and threw the wipe in the trash when Allison was done with it.

“All better.” Lydia declared.

Allison beamed up at her. “My hero.”

Lydia gave the band aid a gentle press to make sure it was secure (if it gave her an excuse to feel Allison’s muscles then that was just a bonus.)

“Allison, would you like a cup of coffee?”  
  
Allison twisted her head to look at Lydia’s mother, in all honesty, Lydia had forgotten that she was there, instead assuming that she had left shortly after Lyda had returned with the first aid kit.

“No thank you Ms Martin.” Allison replied, still smiling. “I should actually finish my run and head home.” She looked back to Lydia. “I left my phone there, I would have called first otherwise.”  
  
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m glad you came.” Lydia said, squeezing Allison’s shoulder.

Allison grinned. “I think we’re all still meeting at Derek’s later, i can come pick you up if you want?”  
  
“I’d like that.”   
  
Allison slid off of her seat and stretched, Lydia almost sighed, Allison really did have wonderful abs.

“Thank you for having me.” Allison said to Lydia’s mother, she smiled at Lydia and took her hand. “And thank you for taking care of me.”

“There’s no need to thank me Alli.” Lydia laughed. The two of them walked to the front door. “That’s what we do, take care of of each other.”  
  
Allison opened the door and Lydia had to look away from the sudden burst of sunlight.   
  
“Yeah we do.” Allison replied. “I’ll call you in a bit okay?”   
  
“Okay.”   
  
“Can i kiss you?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
After two kisses, Allison stepped out the house to continue her run, only to falter and spin on the spot to face Lydia.   
  
“I almost forgot.” Allison said. “You should invite your mom along to the barbeque, if you want her there of course.”   
  
Lydia didn’t make much of an attempt to contain her surprise. “Do you want her there? Hell, do the Hales?”   
  
“Talia is fine with it, she thinks it’ll be good for her.”   
  
“And you?” Lydia asked.   
  
“I agree, but I want you to feel safe and happy at the barbeque so if you don’t want her there then that’s fine. It’s why i told you instead of going over your head and inviting her without your permission.”   
  
Lydia glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen and back to Allison. “I think it’s a good idea.”   
  
“Are you sure?”   
  
Lydia smiled. “Yeah. I think she could use some friends, you know?”   
  
Allison nodded. “Yeah.”   
  
Another kiss was exchanged with their goodbyes and then Allison was gone, continuing on her run as she always did. Lydia spent a moment watching her and using the peace to gather her thoughts before she closed the door to join her mother back in the kitchen.

She was still against the counter, drinking her coffee with a thoughtful expression. Lydia didn’t bother to sit back down, depending on how long it took for Allison to get home and shower, Lydia may as well get ready as well. Lydia began to pack away the first aid kit so that she could return it back to the bathroom.

“She’s very happy isn’t she?” Her mother asked.  
  
“Yeah.” Lydia replied, she grabbed her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

“Even after everything she’s been through?”  
  
“Yes.” Lydia said. As much as she would love to wax poetic about how strong and incredible Allison is, she didn’t want to say anything that encroaches on Allison’s privacy. It’s different when she talks about Allison with their friends or the other adults because they know Allison’s story and Lydia knows that she doesn’t mind (she has said as much in the past) “She’s kind of incredible.” Lydia added. “Even more so once you get to know her.”   
  
Her mother made another thoughtful sound and stared down into her coffee. Lydia reached for her own mug and took a tentative sip, relieved to find it still hot.

“There’s a barbecue tomorrow night.” Lydia began before she could second guess herself. “At the Hale house. It’s a party for Derek, Allison said you should come if you want. Mrs Hale invited you.”  
  
The surprise on her mother's face was evident. “She wants me there?”   
  
Lydia nodded.   
  
“Even after the way i treated her at dinner?”   
  
And there it was, the first time she’d seen her mother openly acknowledge the way she behaved that night was awful, that she was wrong. It was a big deal and Lydia wasn’t really sure how to respond to it.

“Allison’s an extremely forgiving person.” Lydia shrugged. She knew not to let the moment go on for too long, it’ll get awkward and the risk of saying the wrong thing increased. “It’s an open invite, we have to bring something but i’ve got that covered. It’s up to you if you want to come.”  
  
With the first aid kit and her coffee in hand, Lydia decided that was enough, she made her way towards the stairs and faltered when she heard her mother call out to her.

“Do you want me to come?”  
  
Lydia walked back just enough so that they could see each other again. “Yeah.” She nodded. “Yeah, i think it’ll be nice.”

She walked up the staircase. She’d had a civilised and healthy conversation with her mother. It was surreal but Lydia was happy about it. She really hoped that it was signs of a better relationship in the future.  
  
  
  
  
“So are we going to hang around here all day?” Malia asked, they stole the sunglasses from Cora’s head and put them on, relaxing back against the wall.

“Sorry to say, but i think we’ve officially done everything to be done this summer.” Danny said, reaching over to pat their knee apologetically as they groaned.

For one reason or another, when Lydia and Allison had arrived at the house, they’d found Cora, Isaac, Erica and Boyd and Derek sitting on the steps at the front door and had sat down with them. As the rest of the group arrived nobody had bothered to move.

Lydia figured they’d move for lunch eventually, or when the sun moves to warm the back of the house, whichever happens first.

“We’re still all crashing here tomorrow right?” Scott asked. 

Cora hummed in response. “Because _someone_ has to leave so fucking early the next morning.”  
  
“Because he has to _drive_ to New York.” Derek replied, not even bothering to open his eyes to glare at his sister from the spot where he’s sat with Allison leaning against him. Lydia almost wants to take a picture of the two of them, he always managed to make Allison look so small when they’re together. 

If Lydia weren’t so comfortable from where she’s sat with Danny and Ethan, she’d go over to join her girlfriend. Maybe in a little while when they inevitably move to get food.

“So we are literally just going to stay here all day?” Malia asked, their voice seemed to border on a whine.

“If we get too bored we could go for a drive?” Allison suggested. 

“That could work.” Malia nodded. They nudged Allison’s thigh with their foot as a thank you.  
  
“Ever been to a IHOP at two in the morning?” Stiles asked. Most of the group shook their head. “Oh we should do that. That’s an experience.”   
  
“Where is the closest IHOP?” Ethan asked.   
  
Stiles shrugged, causing several people to sigh.

“See now this has the potential to be interesting.” Malia said. “We pick a direction, we drive and we don’t come back until we eat pancakes at two in the morning.”  
  
“Does it have to be two?” Erica asked. “What if it takes longer?”   
  
“I feel like the general idea is that we just eat pancakes at a ridiculous hour.” Isaac replied.

Allison yawned. “Okay but can someone paint my nails at some point today?” She opened her eyes to look over at Lydia.  
  
“Sure.” Lydia smiled. “Whenever you want.”   
  
“You’re the best.”   
  
Erica clapped her hands together. “This gave me an idea.”   
  
“You’re going to paint all of our nails aren’t you?” Ethan asked.

“Yes. Yes i am.” Erica nodded. “Problem?”  
  
“Not at all, but can it wait until after lunch?”   
  
They all turned their head at the sound of a car approaching, the intrigue faded as soon as they all realised it was Mr Hale and quickly returned to relaxing in the sun while people argued over what colours they wanted to paint their nails.

Lydia’s attention was drawn away from the conversation when she saw Mr Hale step out of the car, make his way to the trunk and then pull something huge over his shoulders and make his way towards them.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one who spotted this.

“Was that… A pig?” Stiles asked hesitantly as they watched Mr Hale walk around the the side of the house towards the backyard.

“Where do you think that pulled pork comes from?” Derek asked.

“I mean, true, but that doesn’t mean i was prepared to see your dad carry an entire pig into your backyard, you know?” Stiles replied.

“That must take forever to cook.” Lydia said.

Cora nodded. “But good god is it worth it. It will change your life.”  
  
Erica got to her feet and checked her phone. “Should we get lunch now?”   
  
“Sure whatever, i’m down.” Allison replied, following her up and holding out her hands for Lydia to take, pulling her to her feet and hugging her quickly. “I really want a cheeseburger.”   
  
“Oh my god and a milkshake.” Scott groaned.

“Extra fries.” Stiles added.

Lydia really really loved these people.

  
  


It was a rare occurrence for Lydia to be in a car with Allison and not have Allison driving.

Then again it was rare for them all to be going on a (technically not very) spontaneous road trip in the middle of the night.  
  
Initially, Allison had wanted to drive, but when she’d woken up from the nap they’d all taken she’d still felt tired and decided that she didn’t feel comfortable driving a car so late while feeling that way. It worked out pretty well in the end though, because it meant that Lydia got to be cuddled up with her girlfriend in the backseat of Derek’s car while Derek and Danny argued over a movie Lydia can’t remember the name of and Ethan slept beside her.

“I like this.” Allison mumbled.  
  
“What part?” Lydia asked, she felt Allison’s arms tighten around her in response.   
  
“I mean i was thinking about the part where i can do more than just hold your hand in a car, but i also like how you’re on my hearing side. It makes it a lot easier. But i’m also loving the driving with my favourite people to a mysterious IHOP in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.”   
  
Lydia agreed on all points, there was just something special about driving at night, especially this late and on a road so empty. It made them feel like the only people in the world. Just them, their friends in the cars behind ahead and the stars overhead.

“When do you think we’ll find an IHOP?” Danny asked. The interior of the car lit up as he unlocked his phone. “Actually, where are we?”  
  
Derek sighed. “I have no idea. I didn’t even think IHOP was open at this time.”   
  
Lydia let herself settle back into Allison’s arms, adjusting herself so that she could watch the lights from the occasional streetlight pass over Allison’s face as the girl stared out of the window at the stars.

“Oh fuck.” Danny groaned.   
  
Allison looked over to him. “Oh no, what is it?”   
  
Danny sighed again and pressed his phone to his ear. Lydia caught Derek’s eye in the rear view mirror as he frowned at them both.

“Malia, hey. Can you put me on speaker?” Danny asked. He waited a moment. “Hey Stiles, yeah. So IHOP… You know they aren’t open at two in the morning right?”  
  
Allison groaned and dropped her head against Lydia’s, Lydia could clearly hear various swearing and groaning from Danny’s phone.   
  
“It’s a good thing we’re used to this kind of shit.” Derek muttered.

 

“So it may not be IHOP, it may not be Denny’s, we may not know what this place is called or where we even are...” Stiles paused to stare at everybody's pancakes and raised his mug of coffee into the air. “But here’s to a good night.”  
  
The diner they found themselves in didn’t even feel real, though Lydia had fallen in love with the lights that had created a perfect pink aesthetic, Kira had already taken plenty of pictures she had deemed ‘Instagram worthy’.   
  
“It’s about the journey, not the destination.” Danny said.

“They’re pancakes Danny, it’s not that deep.” Erica replied in her typical ‘this is a nice moment so i have to make a joke’ tone.

Allison smiled at Lydia from across the table and Lydia couldn’t resist nudging their feet together.

“So are we eating pancakes and then driving home?” Isaac asked, watching in awe as Malia devoured their pancakes.

“Pretty much.” Stiles replied.

“We do have a barbecue that we've been planning for for weeks tomorrow.” Cora pointed out.

“If we leave in… An hour, we should get home for like five.” Kira said. “Give or take.”

“Wow we’re going to be exhausted tomorrow, huh?” Boyd asked.

Allison scoffed. “Amateurs.”

“We don't all have insomnia, you know.” Derek replied, elbowing her in the ribs.

“Good, insomnia sucks.” Allison grinned. “It's going to be fun trying to get into a routine for school again.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Lydia replied, she reached over to grab Allison's hand, lacing their fingers together.

When they'd all been painting their nails, Allison had insisted to have the same colour as Lydia's. Teal was a great colour on Allison and Lydia really liked that they matched.

Allison sighed happily and squeezed Lydia's fingers. Lydia let go after a moment to start eating her pancakes, still feeling Allison's gaze on her as the group fell into easy conversation.

Lydia let her legs rest on Allison's lap and couldn't stop smiling.  
  


Apparently being in the middle of nowhere at three in the morning meant that it was a lot cooler than Lydia was used to, even with Allison's denim jacket (that at this point Allison said she may as well call it her own) she could still feel the cold.

Somehow Allison was still happy to sit on the hood of Derek's car, leaning back on her hands to look at the sky.

Isaac and Cora were a lot closer, cigarettes hanging from both of their hands.

“I honestly forgot you both smoked.” Lydia said as she spotted them.

Cora raised an eyebrow. “It's not something we make a habit of doing.”

“We’re quitting.” Isaac said. “This is our last ones.”

“Hell yeah.” Cora bumped Isaac's fist with her own.

Lydia looked over at Allison. She was in a world of her own as always. It was to be expected with as clear the sky was.

Without any towns nearby, the stars were bright. They couldn't keep Allison inside on a night like this.

“You two are going to have a moment, aren't you?” Cora asked.

“Hopefully a lot of moments.” Lydia replied.

Cora sighed. “You even sound like her sometimes what the fuck.” 

Lydia ignored her in favour of making her way towards Allison.

“One day I hope to be able to live somewhere like this.” Allison said as she reached her.

“In the middle of nowhere?”

Allison laughed and lay back on her elbows. “Not necessarily. Just somewhere with a good view of the stars.”

Lydia tried not to fidget too much with her hands. “I'm sure you'll find somewhere.” She replied.

Allison tore her gaze away from the sky and sat up to look at Lydia, there was something in her expression. Intense and curious all at once.

“Is everything okay?” Allison asked.

“Everything is fine.” Lydia replied. She moved closer to stand in front of Allison, who immediately shuffled closer so that Lydia was standing between her knees. “Are you okay?”

Allison hummed. “I was just thinking.”

She didn't clarify what she was thinking about which wasn't all that surprising. Like Lydia, Allison could cycle through several different thoughts about several different topics with speed. But she also had a tendency to keep them to herself, or only share a small fragment of her thoughts.

“Anything interesting?”

Allison smiled and looped her arms around Lydia's neck. “I hope so.”

Lydia smiled back before she turned in Allison's arms, tugging on her arms to make sure she didn't let go. Allison seemed to get the memo, shuffling even closer until she could rest her head on top of Lydia's and hug her close to the chest without slipping off of the hood of the car.

“I like this.” Lydia said.

She felt Allison hold her tighter and shifted to nuzzle her cheek against Lydia's.

“Same. It's magical right?”

Lydia covered Allison's hands with her own and tipped her head back to look at the stars.

“It's certainly something.” Lydia agreed.

Lydia felt like there should be something more said between them, but instead they stayed there and let the minutes pass until eventually the rest of the group trickled out of the diner to join them so that they could begin the journey home.

“We should do this again more often.” Stiles said as he drifted towards his jeep with Malia, Scott and Kira.

“We should.” Allison agreed, pausing at Derek's car to hold the door open for Lydia. She gave one last look up towards the sky before climbing into the car after her.

If Lydia could, she'd give the stars to Allison.

  
  
  


Lydia rummaged through her jewellery to try and find the earrings that matched her necklace. They'd been a pair she'd seen while on an impromptu double date with Erica and Cora.

(Lydia hadn’t realised that Allison had brought them for her until she'd slid the box across the table during a coffee break)

They matched her dress perfectly too, so it was a win all around.

“Oh thank god.” She muttered, finding the pair underneath one of her many sketches.

The mac and cheese was ready, her overnight bag was on her seat and Allison and Chris were on their way and as she fastened her earrings in place Lydia sighed and looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked happy.

Lydia studied herself in the mirror, she had more freckles now, she looked healthier- a definite thanks to her friends for making sure she ate better.

Even though there were still nights where she didn't sleep, Lydia could tell that she looked more rested, more relaxed.

Lydia smiled, she felt genuinely good about herself. It was great.

Lydia grabbed Derek’s gift from her desk along with her phone and bag and made her way downstairs.   
  
She found her mother in the kitchen, it seemed that she was admiring the bowl of macaroni and cheese Lydia had made. She was also wearing a sundress, a pastel yellow that Lydia had never seen her wear before.

“Lydia, i almost didn’t hear…” Her mother stopped short as she saw Lydia. “Oh.”  
  
Lydia hesitated. “What?”   
  
“You look beautiful.”   
  
Lydia blinked, caught completely off guard. “Thank you. You do too. Does this mean you’re coming to the barbecue?”

“Is that okay?”  
  
“Are you okay with catching a ride with Allison and her father?” Lydia asked.   
  
It took a moment, but her mother nodded. Lydia could tell she was nervous, trying to hide her vulnerability and Lydia searched her mind for something to say, she tried to think back to what Allison said, would say in a situation like this.

“It’s weird…” Lydia began after a few more moments of thought. “Being back here, it’s not like meeting strangers because you knew them once upon a time.” Actually, thinking about it, Lydia could remember Allison telling her something like that when they first met again. “It’ll get easier.”  
  
There was a look in her mother's eyes that Lydia had never seen before, it was mildly unsettling but strangely not in a way that Lydia didn’t like.

It actually felt like her mother was finally seeing her.

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door and Lydia cleared her throat. “That’ll be Allison.”

Her mother nodded quickly and grabbed the bowl. “I’ve got this.”

When Lydia opened the door, she smiled at Allison's awed expression.

Allison herself had dressed down, dark jeans and a white t-shirt to match, she’d left her hair down in it’s usual curly state.

“Oh my God Lydia, you look amazing.” Allison said, letting her eyes flicker over her. “I mean you always look amazing but… Oh my god you’re beautiful.”   
  
“Thank you, you look beautiful too.”   
  
Allison smiled, her gaze flickered past Lydia. “Ms Martin, you look wonderful too.”   
  
“Thank you Allison.”   
  
“Are you both ready to go?” Allison asked. As Lydia nodded Allison held out a hand for Lydia to take. “I can carry your bag to the car if you want?”   
  
“It’s fifteen feet Alli.” Lydia laughed fondly. “It’s okay.”   
  
Allison still insisted on holding the passenger seat door open for Lydia’s mother and then did the same for Lydia, taking her hand again once they were all buckled in and letting Chris and Lydia’s mother make awkward small talk up front.

  


Lydia knew that there were going to be a lot of people at the barbecue, but good god she wasn’t expecting there to be so many cars parked outside the house.   
  
It was a good thing that the Hales owned a huge house away from everyone else.

“You’re going to love Laura.” Allison said, taking both her own and Lydia’s bag from the trunk and reaching for Lydia’s hand as soon as she’d got a firm hold of the bags. “She’s such a badass and she wants to be a forensic scientist.”  
  
“That does sound pretty badass.” Lydia agreed.   
  
“Dad,” Allison looked at him over her shoulder. “Could you introduce Ms Martin to Talia?”   
  
He held up a bowl of whatever him and Allison had opted to bring along with them. “No problem.”   
  
Lydia watched the two of them walk around the side of the house while Allison led them up the steps and knocked on the front door.

“Your dad isn’t going to try and hit on my mom is he?” Lydia asked, she was only being a little serious.

Allison snorted. “No, he’s not really looking to date, don’t worry.” She winked.

The door swung open to reveal an exasperated Cora. “Oh thank God you’re here.”  
  
“Lovely to see you too.” Allison replied, sliding the bags off of her shoulders and adding them to a pile. “Are we the last ones?”   
  
“Still waiting on Erica, then i can move our crap upstairs and finally join the party.” Cora explained as she shut the door.

“She’ll be here soon, i bet.” Allison laughed. The door knocked again. “See!”  
  
“Oh thank god.” Cora waved a hand. “You two might want to go ahead, this might take a while.”   
  
“Pretty sure that’s code for ‘we’re going to make out.’” Allison giggled.   
  
“Speaking of…” Lydia nudged her side gently. “Can i kiss you?”   
  
Allison grinned and as they made it outside, she pulled Lydia into a kiss, for a moment all Lydia could taste was Allison’s too sweet watermelon lip gloss, Lydia couldn’t help but laugh into it as Allison wound her arms around her waist to dip her dramatically.

“Keep it in your pants ladies.” Stiles called, wrapping an arm around Allison’s neck and pulling her into a headlock as soon as she and Lydia parted. “Glad you could make it.”  
  
Lydia shook her head at the sight, she had never understood what the groups obsession was with headlocks or why she only ever seemed to notice it when they were doing it to Allison, it was just one of those things.   
  
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Allison replied. She pulled herself free and quickly moved back to Lydia’s side.  
  
Lydia finally got a chance to take in the garden and found herself speechless as a result.

Fairy lights had been strung up against the house and around some of the trees, lanterns hung from branches and towards the bottom of the garden, away from where most of the people were gathered, a bonfire burned brightly.

She could already see Mr Hale manning the barbecue, a grin on his face as he spoke to a few other people, beside him was the pig they had seen him with the day before, roasting on a spit. Lydia also saw her mother and Talia talking at a table covered with an outrageous amount of food. If she tried hard enough she was sure she’d be able to pick out the rest of the group amongst the crowd of people, their conversations quietened by the cheerful music playing loudly.

“Pretty cool right?” Stiles asked.

“It’s incredible.” Lydia gasped.   
  
“Told you, Hale parties set the standard.” Allison said.

Lydia nodded. She saw Derek approach before she could reply and before she could greet him, he tackled Allison into a hug, lifting her off of the ground as if she were weightless.  
  
“Show off.” Stiles muttered.

Allison laughed and hugged him tightly. “If you drop me i’ll kill you.” She warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Derek replied, setting her down with ease. He turned to Lydia and held his arms out in invitation. Lydia was thankful that he didn’t try to lift her up, instead hugging her like a regular human would. Derek gave great hugs (almost as good as Allison’s) “How are you both?”  
  
“Good.” Lydia replied. “This looks amazing.”   
  
Derek nodded, breaking eye contact to look at the crowd. He seemed to be handling the whole thing pretty well, as far as she could tell.   
  
“So you must be Allison’s girlfriend.”   
  
Lydia looked towards the source of the voice and- yeah, no question about it. This was Laura Hale.

She looked exactly like Talia, her eyes were the same colour as Derek’s and she had the ‘take no shit’ expression that Cora had perfected.

At least Lydia’s heart fluttered at being referred to as Allison’s girlfriend, that would never get old.

“Lydia Martin,” Lydia held a hand out. “Nice to meet you.”  
  
For one unbelievably tense moment, Laura just stared at Lydia’s hand, her expression carefully neutral before she broke out into laughter and opened her arms for a hug, Lydia was only a little bit shocked by the whole thing.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Laura said, stepping back and patting Lydia’s shoulders. “A lot.” She repeated, turning her head to stare at Allison, who turned bright red.  


After meeting Laura, Lydia found herself being introduced to various members of Derek’s family, a lot of them seemed to have an idea of who she was and all of them greeted her with a familial warmth she hadn’t ever experienced before.  


At some point during the introductions, Lydia lost track of Allison, eventually spotting her in the distance playing with Derek, Danny and several small children. Lydia wondered if any of them were from the hospital.

Lydia couldn’t fault the atmosphere, there was just something otherworldly and happy about it that made Lydia feel relaxed, even in the (rare) moments she didn’t have a friend by her side.

“Are they playing football?” Kira asked, dropping down onto the grass beside Lydia.

Lydia looked over to where Allison, Malia, Derek, Scott, Danny and Cora were running, surrounded by kids as they threw a ball back and forth.   
  
“Something like that.” Lydia replied. She honestly wasn’t so sure. “They look like they’re having fun though.”   
  
Kira hummed and fell back to stretch out on the grass. “I don’t want this party to end.”   
  
“It’s only just beginning.” Erica said, sitting down beside Lydia. “We haven’t even eaten yet.”   
  
“We’re not going to sleep much tonight are we?” Lydia asked.   
  
Erica grinned and threw her arm around Lydia’s shoulder, staring at her until Lydia put her arm around Kira. “Who could even think about sleep on a night like this?”   
  
“It’s saying things like that that made us all end up running through a field at sunrise.” Kira mumbled.

Even though Lydia hadn’t slept much the night before she had to agree, she blamed it on the energy of the party, so much was happening and she didn’t want to miss a thing.

“Yo Lydia, don’t look now but i think our parents might be flirting.” Stiles said, dropping dramatically into Kira’s lap, causing her to yell in surprise.

Lydia followed Stiles’ gaze to where their parents stood next to the table full of drinks, even from this distance, Lydia could see the huge smile on her mother's face- a smile she hadn’t seen for so long.   
  
Lydia felt herself smile briefly and looked back to Stiles. “Are you okay with that?”   
  
Stiles shrugged and moved to sit in front of her, leaning back on his elbows and stretching his legs over Erica’s. “It’s just flirting, maybe. They seem happy.”   
  
Lydia hadn’t spent much time around the sheriff, but she knew he was a good man. He did good by the town and the people in it. “I guess we’ll see what happens.” Lydia said.  
  


They fell into a rhythm of easy conversation after that, talking about a whole lot of nothing as the rest of the group slowly showed up to sit with them while watching the others play with other guests.

It was far too easy to lose track of time and before Lydia knew it, the food had been served and she found herself with a plate overflowing food and once again surrounded by her friends, Laura, and a four year old who was a cousin to the Hale’s in some way (apparently she really loved Laura and refused to leave her side)  
  
“Do you think there will be leftovers?” Lydia asked, taking a bite of her pulled pork sandwich and- oh good god it was magical. “Oh my god.”   
  
“Right?” Allison laughed, already in the process of inhaling hers.   
  
“Please don’t choke.” Lydia said, shuffling closer so that they were leaning against each other.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Allison replied.  
  
“Five dollars says five minutes.” Lydia heard Isaac whisper. Boyd nodded and they shook hands.

It was hard to focus on the party beyond the bubble that was Lydia and her friends, she knew that there were people all around them, some dancing, many eating but all Lydia wanted to focus on was her friends as they talked about movies or the food they were eating or telling Laura about the things they’d done over the summer.

As always, she was thankful for Kira constantly taking photos of the whole thing. Lydia didn’t even want to guess how big the album would be when she finally uploaded it all for them to see.

“I really feel like this sets the bars for barbecues.” Lydia said.  
  
Allison grinned. “Stiles throws a mean Christmas party if that helps.”   
  
“We’re still figuring out Halloween.” Danny added.   
  
“Yeah we suck at Halloween.” Erica agreed. “Last year we watched the mummy and the mummy returns and Stiles cried.”   
  
“She didn’t deserve to die Erica!” Stiles yelled. “It was very emotional!”   
  
“It’s not like she stayed dead…” Kira said.   
  
Their bubble was broken by Derek being dragged off to talk to family who had to leave early, leaving the group to watch him go.

“So when do we give him his gifts?” Scott asked.

“Whenever.” Cora shrugged.   
  
Allison stacked her empty plate on top of Isaac’s and moved to lean against Lydia more. “Maybe when there’s less people so he doesn’t get embarrassed.” She twisted to look at Lydia. “Do you want another drink?”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
Allison smiled warmly at her and grabbed Lydia’s empty cup along with a few others who asked Allison to refill theirs for them.   
  
“It’s going to be weird without Derek.” Scott said after a few moments of silence. “He’s the big brother of the group.”   
  
“Makes sense considering he’s the eldest.” Laura said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s more than that.” Isaac replied. They looked like they were going to say more but they clamped their mouth shut and looked down at their food. Boyd reached forward to rub their shoulder affectionately.   
  
“I don’t think any of us are ready for this.” Boyd said.   
  
“It’ll be okay.” Laura said. “It’ll be hard to get used to but you’ll figure out a new routine, skype dates and stuff.”   
  
Lydia looked around for Allison, expecting to see her making her back to them and instead seeing her talking to her mother, Lydia tried not to read their lips (she couldn’t from this distance even if she did) but judging from the hand on Allison’s shoulder and their relaxed postures, they were having a civilised conversation.

When Allison did return, she seemed even happier than she had when she left, she passed out everyone’s drinks and sat as close to Lydia as she could without being in her lap- not that Lydia would have minded if that had happened.   
  
“Everything okay?” Lydia asked.   
  
Allison wrapped an arm around her and dropped her head to her shoulder. “Yeah, it’s okay.”   
  
Lydia didn’t feel the need to ask.  


A cake was to be expected, and yet when it was brought out, there was a chorus of surprised laughter.

No so much when Cora insisted on pushed Derek’s face into a slice.  
  


By the time the sun went down, everybody was full and there were considerably less people occupying the backyard, which apparently served as the best time for everybody to approach Derek with their gifts.

They all did it quietly, approaching him whenever he had a moment to himself and Lydia and whoever she was with at the time would watch them talk and give Derek their gift.

Lydia watched from her seat as Scott and Derek spoke near the barbecue, Allison was draped sideways in her lap, fingers playing with Lydia’s hair.   
  
“Do you know what he got him?” Lydia asked.

Allison shook her head. “No idea.” She replied softly. “I only know what Isaac got him because i helped them make everything.”  
  
Lydia hummed and leaned into Allison’s touch. “When are you going to give him your gift?”   
  
Allison looked thoughtful. “Soon i guess. What about you?”   
  
“I think i should do it sooner rather than later.” She admitted. “I’ll get anxious if i leave it too late.”   
  
Allison smiled at her, hand moving to stroke her cheek affectionately. “You know he’ll love whatever you got him.”   
  
“Made him.” Lydia corrected. “I uh, painted something for him.”   
  
Allison’s smile grew warmer. “Then you definitely know he’ll love it. How could he not?”

Lydia smiled back, clearing her throat when she saw Scott moving towards his mother. “I think they’re done. Do you want to give Derek your gift now?”

Allison shook her head. “I’m not ready.” There was a brief sadness that flickered in her eyes. “I…”  
  
“I understand.” Lydia said. “It’s okay.”   
  
Allison swallowed and nodded. “You should give him yours though.”   
  
“You think?”   
  
Allison slid off of her lap and held out a hand to pull Lydia to her feet. “Yeah.”   
  
“Can i have a kiss for courage?”   
  
Allison laughed. “Absolutely.” She cupped Lydia’s chin and kissed her gently. “Go get ‘em, little bird.” 

Lydia figured that now was as good a time as any and quickly darted into the house to grab her gift from her bag and headed back outside, she spotted Derek making his way down towards the bonfire and made her way towards him as fast as she could without actually running.

“Derek, you got a minute?” She asked, stopping him with a hand on his am.

Derek smiled at her. “Of course.”  
  
Lydia held out the gift, practically pushing it into his hands.

“Kira showed me a picture when she was hanging out with me once while we were trying to figure out what to give you.” Lydia explained as he unwrapped it. She held her breath as he finally tore the paper away, his eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened.

Lydia hesitated, she didn’t even want to look at Derek to try and gauge his reaction, it was already taking all of her focus not to start spewing apologies because why would Derek want a painting? What use did he have for it?  
  
She didn’t expect him to hug her, it was tighter than the hug he’d given her when she’d arrived, the corner of the frame from her painting dug uncomfortably into her shoulder blade but Lydia hugged him back regardless, considering there was almost a foot in height difference between them, Lydia was pretty sure it was an odd sight.   
  
“Thank you.” Derek said quietly.   
  
Lydia nodded. “You’re welcome.”   
  
Derek pulled away slowly, holding the frame up so he could see the painting clearly. “I really love it Lydia. I promise.”   
  
She had no reason to think he was lying, Lydia wasn’t even sure Derek could lie, especially not to his friends.

“That’s all that matters.” Lydia replied.

“Trust your ability Lydia.” Derek said. “You are really talented, we all think so.  
  
Lydia smiled, she really didn’t want to get emotional tonight but it was really starting to get difficult. “Thank you Derek.” She saw Allison approaching, her own gift in hand. “I’ll leave you both to it.”   
  
Derek smiled and as Allison approached, Lydia gave her hand a soft squeeze. It looked like most of the guests had started to leave and Lydia could only guess what time it was (she figured it was late, seeing as it was dark and there was a sudden absence of kids) and people beginning to clean up, Lydia figured that if she was going to stay the night, the least she could do is help tidy up.   
  
“Lydia!” Her mother called, causing Lydia to almost trip over her own feet.

“Mom! I thought you’d already left.” Lydia replied.

“I didn’t want to bother you while you were with your friends, Melissa has offered to drive me home though. I just wanted to say goodnight.”  
  
Lydia nodded. “Okay.”   
  
Her mother took a deep breath and reached for Lydia’s hand. “And to tell you that i’m proud of you. You were right all along and i’m sorry that i’ve been so… awful.”   
  
“Mom…”   
  
“I’ve been watching you all, all night. You look so happy, i’m sorry it took me so long to see that, i was selfish and i know this won’t fix everything between us but… I want to try.”   
  
Lydia didn’t trust her voice to reply so she settled on a nod.   
  
“You’re friends, they’re good people, so are their parents. I’m glad that you have them.”   
  
“What did Allison say to you?” Lydia asked, because she can’t help but think that if anything has sparked this sudden apology, then it would be her girlfriend.   
  
“She forgave me.” Her mother replied simply. “I apologised for the way i’ve been treating her and she forgave me without hesitation. She told me that she’d forgiven me after the dinner.” They both looked over to where Allison and Derek were sharing a hug. “Don’t let her go Lydia.”   
  
“I won’t.”   
  
“All i see when she looks at you is love, i always have.”   
  
Lydia looked back at her mom, she wasn’t sure if she looked as shocked as she felt. Her mother pulled her closer and kissed her temple.   
  
“I’m proud of you Lydia. You grew up to be a wonderful woman and you did that by yourself.”   
  
“I had some help…” Lydia replied.

“We all need help sometimes don’t we?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah.”  
  
Her mother hugged her again. “I love you Lydia. I’ll be better at showing it from now on. I promise.”   
  
Lydia was glad that they were hugging. “I love you too.” She replied, hoping her voice didn’t sound too emotional. “Get home safe.”   
  
“Have a good night. Tell Derek i hope he has a safe trip.”   
  
“I will.”   
  
“And you should tell Allison how you feel.”   
  
Lydia nodded and stepped back. “I will.”

She watched her mother leave and Lydia knew that it wasn’t going to be that simple, they had a lot of work to do if they wanted to fix their relationship. But if her mother was willing to try then that was enough for Lydia, she’d try too and maybe, in the future, thing will be right with them.  
  
It was the first step though, and Lydia felt lighter because of it.   
  


The fire was slowly starting to die down and Lydia couldn’t help but be reminded of their time camping, everybody sat in a line together, minus Laura who had gone to bed as soon as she’d done her share of cleaning.

“Why do we like fire so much?” Stiles asked.

“Basic human condition.” Boyd said. “It’s like that kid Liam said, remember?”  
  
Kira hummed. “Something about us becoming human when we discovered fire? Or how to cook with it?”   
  
“Basically.”   
  
Allison dropped down beside Lydia, holding up a bottle of beer for her to take, Lydia smiled thankfully and took it as she pulled Allison’s arm around her waist.   
  
“So we only get one beer each?” Cora asked. “Lame.”   
  
“Be lucky we’re getting anything.” Derek replied. He brought his own bottle to his lips and took a seat next to Allison.   
  
They all spent a few moments in silence, drinking their beers and letting the warmth from the flames hold off the chill of the night.

Isaac got to their feet suddenly. “I have to tell you all something.” They looked at Boyd, Erica and Cora.  
  
“More like we.” Erica corrected.   
  
“We asked Isaac out.” Boyd said. “They’re dating us now.”   
  
“Called it.” Danny muttered.   
  
“That’s great news!” Kira exclaimed, she got up to hug Isaac. “I’m so happy for you!”   
  
“Wait i had something for this.” Stiles whispered, Malia rolled their eyes.   
  
“That’s awesome.” They said.   
  
Allison gasped. “The fantastic foursome.”   
  
Stiles snorted and choked on his beer. “I love you.”   
  
Allison gave him the thumbs up and grinned at Isaac. “You’re all perfect for each other.”   
  
“Definitely.” Lydia agreed.   
  
“Let’s not make this a thing.” Erica groaned. “I can only handle so much emotion in one day.”   
  
“Speaking of…” Isaac ran a hand through their hair. They looked at Derek. “I didn’t know what to get you, it actually took a long time to figure out what to do but…” They walked over to where Boyd was sat and took a small box from him. They opened the box and pulled out a bracelet and walked over to Derek to hand it to him, as they passed Lydia she realised it was woven in the colours of the ace flag.   
  
“I made one for all of us.” Isaac continued, they handed them out one at a time. “I stuck to pride flags.” They smiled at Lydia as they handed her her own bracelet. She traced a finger over the rope, smiling at the bi flag it represented. “I made extras too, I have an agender one for you if you want it Malia.”   
  
“I’m never going to say no to more bracelets.” Malia said, accepting the one Isaac gave them.

“Let me help you with yours.” Allison said, reaching for Lydia’s hand and sliding her bracelet on. Only when it was on did Lydia notice the crescent moon charm attached. Allison seemed to notice it too, as she stroked her thumb over it.  
  
“What’s with the moon?” Stiles asked.

Isaac shrugged, sitting back down beside Cora as they finished handing out the bracelets. “I chose the moon because well, a lot of our best memories seem to happen at night, but also because no matter where we all are in the world, we’ll still be under the same moon.”

“Isaac, that’s really beautiful.” Kira said.

“Also because i had like fifty moon charms to spare.”

Kira nodded. “That… Slightly less so.”  
  
Isaac shrugged. “I just wanted us to have something that connected us all, you know?”   
  
“Yeah.” Derek agreed. He traced his own bracelet. “Thank you Isaac. I mean it.”   
  
Isaac smiled. “No problem.”   
  
Allison reached up to sling an arm over Lydia’s shoulders, doing the same to Derek on her other side. After a few moments, Lydia felt Danny put his arm over her and Ethan’s shoulders and one by one the rest of the group followed suit.   
  
“I don’t want this night to end.” Derek admitted after a few moments. He was very determinedly looking at the fire. “I love you all so much.”   
  
“You’re the best friends i’ve ever had.” Lydia said.

“You’re all emotional nerds.” Erica added, Allison laughed loudly. “But you’re all great.”  
  
“We think you’re great too, Erica.” Allison replied. She tilted her head to rest against Lydia’s. 

“We’re just going to stay out here all night aren’t we?” Cora asked.

“Most likely.” Derek nodded.   
  
Nobody seemed bothered enough to object.  
  
  


It wasn’t until it was time for Derek to leave that people started to cry.

Scott was first to tear up as he said his goodbyes and everybody else just seemed to follow from there. Lydia wasn’t ashamed to admit that she started crying the minute she saw Derek start to cry as he hugged Allison and Allison immediately started to cry too.  
  
Honestly they were all emotional messes.

“I didn’t think we’d be this bad.” Cora admitted, she was clearly trying to hold back tears but doing a bad job of it.   
  
Derek hugged her. “It’ll be okay, it’s only New York.”

“You know what would make it better…” Cora began, sniffling.

“You’re not having my room.” Derek deadpanned.

“Damn it.” Cora pulled away. She glared up at Derek and hugged him again. “Have fun in college.”  
  
“I will.”   
  
Laura pushed herself off of his car and walked over to her siblings, ruffling both of their hair. “We should get going, traffic is going to be a pain.”   
  
Derek sighed. “Alright.”   
  
“Group hug!” Stiles declared, practically leaping at the Hale siblings and dragging Malia and Danny with him.   
  
Lydia and the rest of the group followed them, all wrapping their arms around each other and trapping Derek in the middle of the hug as Talia and her husband watched from the front door.

“I’ll text you all later.” Derek said. “All of you behave, okay?”  
  
There was another round of hugs and before they knew it, the dust was settling around them as Derek’s car drove into the distance, Allison was still trying to get her crying under control, though judging from the wet patch on Lydia’s shoulder, that wasn’t going too well.

Scott sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Should we go get pancakes?”  
  
“Pancakes sound good.” Allison mumbled into Lydia’s shoulder.

“Pancakes it is.” Stiles nodded.

  
  


After pancakes everybody went their own ways for a few hours. None of them really slept much the night before (or the night before that to be honest)

Lydia had invited Allison to come back with her, the girl was still really sad over Derek leaving and even though Lydia knew Allison would most likely want to be alone, she couldn’t let the girl she loved go without knowing she was welcome to stay with her if she wanted.

Her bed felt incredibly empty as she collapsed into it, but she could only think about it for a minute before she drifted asleep.

 

  
The first thing Lydia noticed when she woke up was that it was six in the evening and that she had quite literally slept the whole day away.

The second thing she noticed was that she had a text from Allison asking her to call her when she woke up, the third was a text from Derek, checking in just like he promised.

Fully accepting that she had butchered her sleep pattern days before she was supposed to go back to school, Lydia headed downstairs to make coffee and once she had a mug in her hand, she called Allison back. She answered after only two rings.

_“Hey baby.”_ Allison greeted. _“Sleep well?”_ _  
_ _  
_ “Too much.” Lydia groaned, she ran her fingers through her hair. “I have that too much sleep headache. How are you?” Allison sounded happier at least.

_“Still sad, which i expected. But hey, so my dad is working tonight so i was thinking everybody could come over and we can eat pizza on the roof and then watch movies?”_ _  
_ _  
_ “You want to watch the stars, don’t you?”   
  
_“It’s supposed to be another clear night.”_ Lydia was sure she could actually picture Allison shrugging.

Lydia laughed. “Sounds good, what time do you want me there?”  
  
Allison hummed thoughtfully. _“Last orders for pizza are usually midnight, i told everyone to come at like eleven... So… you could always come a little earlier if you want? I can think of a few ways to keep us both distracted.”_ _  
_ _  
_ Lydia felt a blush start to creep up her neck. “That’s probably the most straight up flirting i’ve heard from you.” She said.

_“Yeah it felt weird.”_ Allison admitted with a nervous sounding laugh. _“I don’t think that type of flirting is for me.”_ _  
_ _  
_ “I could get used to it.” Lydia replied. Allison laughed again, happier this time.

_“Well i was just suggesting we make out or whatever- if you wanted to, obviously.”_ _  
_ _  
_ “Obviously.” Lydia repeated. “Would cuddling be involved in these plans of yours?”   
  
_“Cuddling can be provided.”_   
  
Lydia laughed. “Okay, i’ll be over in a couple of hours? I need to shower and everything first.”   
  
_“Do you need a ride?”_ _  
_ _  
_ “I’ll be fine. I promise.”   
  
_“Okay, i’ll see you soon then!”_ Allison replied, followed by a sound that sounded a lot like…   
  
“Did you just kiss your phone?”   
  
_“...If i say yes, will you think it’s cute?”_ _  
_ _  
_ “It was cute.”   
  
_“Then yes.”_ _  
_ _  
_ Lydia laughed. “I’ll see you soon Alli.”  
  


  
“Did i mention i brought snacks?” Lydia asked.

Allison laughed against her mouth, leaning back and letting her grip tighten slightly on Lydia’s thighs. “You didn’t, but you know how i feel about snacks.”  
  
“Not really the type of thing you expect to say when you have your girlfriend in your lap, huh?” Lydia asked. Straddling was probably a better term for it. They’d genuinely started out cuddling too but then Allison had asked to kiss her and then had kissed her jaw and well…   
  
That happened.

“Feels pretty normal for us actually.” Allison replied, leaning up to kiss her jaw again, Lydia shivered and it was entirely possible that Allison knew it was a weak spot for her.

Lydia hummed and wound her arms around Allison’s neck and leaned down to kiss her. She felt Allison smile and move her hands to Lydia’s waist to pull her closer. Lydia could definitely get used to these moments, much like so many of the things Allison did, she was a spectacular kisser and knew exactly what Lydia liked without Lydia having to tell her.

After another ten (maybe?) minutes of making out they reluctantly broke apart so that Allison could order everyone’s pizza and organise for it to come later, when everyone showed up.  
  
Lydia stood up from the bed and stretched, letting her gaze flicker around the room before focusing on the small statue of Mary resting on what Lydia figured was a makeshift shrine. She recognised Allison’s rosary beads beside the statue.

When Allison returned, Lydia gestured to the shrine. “That wasn’t always here, was it?” She asked, she would feel awful if it had been there the entire time and she hadn’t noticed, especially considering how much time she spent in Allison’s room.  
  
Allison laughed. “It’s only been there for a couple of days, i figured it was time to bring her back.”   
  
Lydia didn’t pretend to understand religion, she had made an effort of trying to learn for Allison’s sake, but Allison herself had chosen to keep quiet about the conflict she had been feeling.   
  
“What changed your mind?” Lydia asked.   
  
“The video we saw. The one where my parents saw us kiss.” Allison replied. She rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know, i still have issues with it all, but i kind of think that at the end of the day my faith is my own, how i interpret and how i choose to practice is my own, you know?”   
  
“Kind of.” Lydia said. “As long as you’re happy.”   
  
Allison smiled. “Yeah. we’ll see how it goes.” She walked over to her closet and pulled several blankets out.   
  
“Building another fort?” Lydia asked.   
  
Allison laughed. “I’m going to take these to the roof, and also make sure we can actually get onto the roof.” She headed towards the door. “Are you good to wait here for a few minutes?”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
“I should only be a couple minutes, but if you get lonely come up, i have a key for the door so just close it. Maybe text Danny or someone to let them know that we’re up there.”   
  
“No problem.” Lydia nodded.   
  
“Can i kiss you?”   
  
“Definitely.”   
  
Allison leaned in for a kiss, pressing one to Lydia’s lips and then another to her cheek. “See you in a minute.”   
  
Lydia watched her go and smiled to herself, she took the sudden absence of Allison as a chance to fix her lipgloss and check the time, the rest of the group should all be arriving soon and they’ll spend the night under the stars.

Speaking of under the stars, Allison hadn’t come back yet, no doubt distracted by them.  
  


Lydia fired a text off to Danny, grabbed her bag with the snacks and left the apartment, following the signs until she eventually found her way to the roof. The door was propped open and surely enough, Allison stood at the far end, hands in her pockets and head tilted back to stare at the stars.

Lydia set the bag down and slowly approached Allison. “The sky really is clear tonight.” Lydia said. It wasn’t as good as their view from the other night, but it was still impressive. Especially with the whole town for them to see.

“Yeah.”   
  
“What are you thinking about?” Lydia asked.

“A lot of things.” Allison replied. For a moment, Lydia thought that was all she was going to get, but Allison continued. “You, Derek, school, our future, that kid Liam…”  
  
“Liam?” Lydia frowned. The other things she kind of expected, but as much as she wanted to know what about her Allison was thinking about, but Liam was so unexpected she had to ask.

“He seems smart, and the fact he joined our conversation gave the idea he’d be up for more talks like that. I hope he’s a student at school, i wanna talk to him again.”

Allison’s words reminded Lydia of Stiles’ question about fire the night before and the conversation they had that led to them meeting Liam and the question she had been meaning to ask Allison since that day in the coffee shop.  
  
“You never told us what you thought that day.” Lydia said. Allison blinked and looked away from the sky to give Lydia a questioning look. “What do you think makes us human, Allison?”   
  
Allison ducked her head smiled, a small laugh escaping her lips. After a moment she looked up and took a step closer to Lydia, turning her attention back to the sky. “Do you know why i like the stars so much?”   
  
Lydia had ideas, but Allison’s love for the stars was as complicated as Lydia’s love for Allison. There’s not just one reason, but hundreds, all perfect in their own way that all joined together to make something spectacular.

So she shook her head.

“There’s so many reasons.” Allison admitted. “They’re so foreign but…. They’re just so human too.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Lydia asked softly.   
  
“Since the beginning of time, we’ve been watching them, trying to make sense of them, wishing we could reach them. We tried to connect the dots, just to make order of this chaos above us. We found images in an infinite space.” She reached for Lydia’s hand and used it to point to different points in the sky. “That’s a bear, a lion, a dog. We saw images and then we made stories. Arcas and Callisto, transformed into bears and placed in the sky to avoid tragedy, Orion and the scorpion that pursued him, separated by the seasons as to maintain peace, the arrow that Hercules used to kill the vulture. Orpheus’ lyre… We said that Zeus placed them in the sky.” Allison smiled and let their hands drop to their sides, after a squeeze she let go.   
  
Lydia’s fingers twitched with the urge to reach back and take her hand.   
  
“When i asked you all what you thought made us human, you all basically made my point for me, even though i don’t think any of you realised it.”

Lydia stared at Allison until Allison met her gaze, her smile still in place.   
  
“We as humans connect through stories, that’s what we do. We share stories. We open up our souls and tell people our memories or we create these stories based on our experiences and sell them and you can know that you have something in common with someone on the other side of the globe purely because you’ve both read the same book. We live for stories where there are people like us who get the happy ending because then we believe in happy endings for ourselves.” Allison looked up again, turning so that she was side by side with Lydia. “We dreamt of touching the stars so we wrote stories where it was possible, we write stories of all of our impossibilities because one day we hope they’ll become a reality.” Her voice had become quieter.   
  
Lydia felt her phone vibrate with a text though she didn’t dare move out of risk of ruining the moment.

“We filled the sky with our history and made it so that we will always know where we came from. It doesn’t matter how small i feel, how insignificant, because i tell myself that we’re all connected. We’re born with the ability to tell stories, it doesn’t matter if we’re a great author or anything like that because everybody can tell a story, it’s just what we do. And it all began with the stars.”

Lydia had to stare at this girl, this amazing, brilliant, beautiful girl, and not for the first time, she had to wonder how Allison was real. How this girl could exist in this world and how Lydia got to be so lucky to be in Allison’s orbit.

“I love you.”

They both seemed to stop, Allison’s head slowly turning to meet her gaze, the words felt so foreign that Lydia almost didn’t realise they had come from her own mouth.   
  
“What?”   
  
“I love you.” Lydia said again, firmer this time. “I have for so long, i love every part of you and i’ve wanted to say it for so long but i just couldn’t find the words, i’ve never said it in this context before and meant it. But you’re just so important and special to me and you make me so happy and you’re so incredible and brave and just so luminous you’re like the sun.” Lydia trailed off as Allison reached up to take both of her hands. Apparently Lydia had been gesturing.   
  
“I love you too.” Allison replied, her voice gentle and calm, eyes sparkling with, oh god, tears? “Lydia, i’ve loved you for so long, since we were kids, probably. And… I never really believed in fate, but after all those years, you came back and you bumped into me and… Well, now i do.”

Lydia’s laugh was a mixture of surprise and joy, Allison loved her, she loved Allison. They were in love and they’d told each other.

“The stars would be proud to know they’d created someone like you, Allison.”  
  
Allison sniffed and wiped her thumbs under Lydia’s eyes, at least they were both crying.   
  
“Can i kiss you?” Allison asked.   
  
“Please.”   
  
Allison pulled her in and Lydia was instantly reminded of stars colliding together, she would certainly say that the love she felt for Allison burned brighter than anything in the universe and between each kiss they shared Lydia made sure to voice her love, she wanted the whole damn universe to hear how much she loved this girl.

Allison stopped mid kiss, one arm wrapped around Lydia’s shoulders, the other buried in her hair while Lydia’s arms remained trapped in the space between them, their lips barely brushing and Lydia wanted nothing more than to close that distance, even as Allison let out a quiet laugh and kissed her again gently.   
  
“Are you two done yet?”   
  
Erica’s voice was so sudden that Allison and Lydia jumped apart, spinning towards the source only to find the whole group stood against the door leading back into the building. Danny was even holding a stack of pizzas.   
  
“Hi.” Allison cleared her throat. “How long-”   
  
“We showed up right before your tongues got reacquainted.” Cora said, reaching into the pizza box on top and pulling a slice out. “That was cute.”   
  
“We didn’t want to interrupt.” Kira added. She glanced at Erica. “Most of us.”

“We texted.” Erica shrugged.

“But hey, that was really cute and romantic!” Kira exclaimed.   
  
“Definitely.” Scott nodded. “It was a great idea to come up here.”   
  
“I mean look at that view.” Danny said, he set the pizza down and walked over to join Allison and Lydia closer to the edge. “Holy shit Allison.”   
  
“Right.” Allison laughed, her arm found its way around Lydia’s waist, Lydia immediately turned to curl into her side, smiling at the kiss Allison pressed into her hair. “Figured it’d be good to have a night up here before the back to school panic sets in.”   
  
Stiles groaned. “We go back to school in a few days.”   
  
“Yep.” Isaac sighed.

“I think it’ll be fun.” Scott said, turning to grin at the group. “Senior year, we have each other, we’re happy.”  
  
“Yeah, Scott’s right.” Boyd agreed. “Half of us are going to be on the lacrosse team, we have the club…”   
  
He trailed off, Allison hummed thoughtfully, leaving Lydia to wonder what she was thinking about now.

“I can’t believe summer is over.” Lydia said.  
  
“So what do we do now?” Stiles asked.

“Let's just enjoy the moment.” Allison replied, looking from Lydia towards the town. “I want to remember this.”

When summer ends and they return to school, Lydia knew that teachers and students alike will ask how her summer was and Lydia won’t tell them, not because she didn’t want to but because she didn’t know _how._ They weren’t there to watch stars fall with Allison or eat pancakes at two in the morning or how Isaac held her hand in an art gallery or what it was like to drink the best hazelnut coffee or see Allison kiss her as the sun rose. They wouldn’t understand how those moments made this summer so important to her.   
  
They wouldn’t understand how this summer healed her.   
  
So Lydia would smile and say it was great and then she’ll find Allison or Kira or Isaac and share more honest smiles with them because they do know.

Their summer together and the memories within it belonged to them.  
  
And maybe in a month or two she’ll walk down the hallway with Danny as he told her about his newest plan for their club and she’ll listen as she pulls Allison’s varsity jacket tighter around herself.

They’ll plan skype dates with Derek so that he can watch his friends win lacrosse and afterwards they’ll all pile into their cars to get pizza and Allison will pull her closer and ask if she can kiss her.  
  
There would be so many moments for the future, more than there are stars in the sky.

But for now, she stayed silent as she stood with her girlfriend and her friends, her family. Allison was right, Lydia knew that she would remember this moment for years to come.

  


She just had to dare to hope.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, thank you so much for reading this, this fic has been so important to me and i really appreciate all of the amazing support you've all given me, i hope you enjoyed it!  
> If anybody is interested, here's a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/klechien/playlist/6TEaSjIZh8MD4HeYhrsgjt) made by my wonderful friend who i love Kayla and this incredible [poem](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7787728) by Tanya who i also love dearly  
> And here is a [aesthetic post](http://puppydanvers.tumblr.com/post/150141416046/take-me-home-and-show-me-the-sun-a-few-months)  
> i made for the fic  
> And you want to cry over allydia and some other femslash ships, you can find me at puppydanvers on tumblr  
> Thank you again for reading!


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